American Indian Corn 

150 Ways 
To Prepare and Cook It 

Charles J. Murphy 




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COPyRIGHT DEPOSm 



American 

Indian Corn 

(Maize) 

A Cheap, Wholesome, and Nutritious Food 
150 Ways to Prepare and Cook It 



By 

Charles J. Murphy 

Formerly Commissioner for the State of Nebraska 



Revised and Edited with the Addition of Many New Recipes 
and a Foreword by 

Jeannette Young Norton 

Author of "Mrs. Norton's Cook-Book," etc. 



G. P, Putnam's Sons 

New York and London 

Zbc 1f:n(cfterbocfter ipresa 

1917 



^■^ 



^'^^ 



Copyright, 1917 

BY 

CHARLES J. MURPHY 



SEP' --8 1917 



'Cbe ftnfcbetbocfsev f)ve0d, mew I^ovfc 



^'i'^QQSS 



EDITOR'S FOREWORD 

Millions of people in America are earnestly 
seeking a way to ''do their bit'* toward win- 
,ning the war. Here is a simple solution of the 
problem: eat corn bread! This is an in- 
itial step toward efficient food conser- 
vation. 

In 1890, Congress sent a commission abroad 
to introduce and promote the use of Indian 
corn in foreign domestic economy. An ''In- 
dian Com Kitchen'' was established in Paris 
by the commission, which did much to popu- 
larize the grain; but adoption was slow and its 
use did not becom^e general. 

In 191 7, Congress sent out another com 
message, this time to the American people. 
This message urged the use of corn meal — 
converted into some of the palatable old- 
fashioned dishes — on our tables at least once a 
day, to release most of our wheat crop for the 
sustenance of the Allied armies. 

It is with the purpose of transmitting this 
second Congressional appeal in a practical 

iii 



iv Editor's Foreword 

way to American housewives that the revision 
of this book has been undertaken. 

Visiting foreign war commissions recently 
announced that England, France, and Italy 
would need 560,000,000 bushels of grain **to 
meet the conditions to be met before the next 
harvest/' Each and every household can 
help meet this need — a need which will exist 
for years — ^by eating corn meal instead of 
wheat. The Food Administrator of the 
United States says: "If we continue our 
normal rate of exportation of breadstuffs 
until the end of this year (19 17), our Allies 
will be reduced to 58 per cent, of their food 
requirements. We must give them another 
25 per cent, or the war may be lost. That 
means that we must send them an additional 
100,000,000 bushels of wheat over our normal 
shipments. We must do it even if we take 
it off our own tables. " 

If a complete substitution of corn and other 
cereals could be made in America, it would 
increase our exportable surplus of wheat 150,- 
000,000 bushels. The temperance wave now 
sweeping this country will mean another 
appreciable release of available grain. 

Europe is at sea on the corn food question, 
and as they would not learn to use it when 
they had an opportunity, and as there is no 



Editor's Foreword v 

time now for national classes of instruction, 
it is obvious that they must have our wheat, 
while we must use our corn. 

This is no sacrifice, though we may feel that 
it is one; for this valuable food has been 
neglected in recent years, a deplorable fact 
in food economy. 

Modern milling has removed much of the 
oil from the meal and floiir so that they are 
not a heating food, even in summer, as they 
were formerly considered, and nothing but 
good health can follow their free use. 

It is said on good authority that America 
supplies two-thirds of the com crop of the 
world, and that there are seven hundred 
varieties, including black, white, red, blue, 
and yellow, among which the dent, flint, soft 
maize, sweet, and pop com are best known. 

After the Boer War the African natives were 
spurred by business depression to raising large 
corn crops, which were marketed principally 
in England, while the South American people 
have been putting forth efforts to introduce 
their kafir corn to America, which is like carry- 
ing coals to Newcastle, for we have already 
enough and to spare. 

Corn is America's biggest crop, and I appeal 
to my sister women to rise to a loyal patriotism 
and use it in every way available. Our repu- 



vi Editor's Foreword 

tatlon as housewives and mothers is at stake. 
We are known all over the world as the raost 
extravagant nation; are we to add to this the 
opprobrium of being the most selfish? We 
can easily spare all of otir wheat, with the 
rich cornfields back of us, without feeling it 
a sacrifice, for the wheat will go to feed not 
only otir foreign brothers, but your boys and 
mine. 

Having revised the recipes originally used 
in this excellent work on American Indian 
Corn, I have also added many new ones, which 
the housewife may use for breakfast, luncheon, 
and dinner dishes inclusive, and among them 
she will find several excellent meat substitutes. 

The data on corn gathered, and herein pre- 
sented by the distinguished author, will be 
found well worth careful perusal, and quite as 
valuable to-day as they were thirty years ago 
when first presented. 

A word to the American housewife on buy- 
ing corn meal may not come amiss from one 
who has had wide experience in its purchase 
and use. It is best to buy the meal in bulk, 
by the pound rather than in package goods, 
for then one may see that it is fresh and free 
running and not run the risk of buying a 
heated, webby, and bitter product, which may 
have already germinated the destructive wee- 



Editor*s Foreword 



Vll 



vil. This Is the right way to buy and sell 
corn meal, and if the housewife insists, it 
will be bought and sold in this way. If 
bought in small quantities, as needed, there 
will be no danger of these bad conditions oc- 
curring in the home pantry. 

Eat corn meal, suggest it to others, and 
teach them how to use it, and send your share 
of wheat with a cheery blessing to ''some- 
where in Europe, " is the advice of, 

Yours sincerely, 
Jeannette Young Norton. 



INTRODUCTION 

Though much has been written on Indian 
corn, or maizes it has been my endeavor in 
this treatise to give, in concise and siimmary 
form, a complete description, with the various 
uses, of our great National grain. The need 
of a work of this kind has long been felt, and 
I think the present an opportune time for its 
publication. The American Indian Com Ex- 
hibit has roused the interest of the people 
in this country to a great degree, as to the 
adaptability of otir immense stirplus of In- 
dian corn as a means of supplying wholly, 
or in great part, the demand for cheap and 
wholesome breadstuff s. * 

My exhibit, the first of a series which will 
be given throughout the United Kingdom and 
Europe, is intended to dissipate and remove 
the ignorance and prejudice against Indian 
com which now prevail. My method of 
attacking the citadel is as follows: To cook 
the food in presence of the public, serve it to 
them at nominal prices, distribute literature 

ix 



X Introduction 

in all languages, giving fiill information, price 
as compared with wheat, oatmeal, and other 
breadsttiffs, mode of preparation, and cook- 
ing formulas. A few attacks of this nature 
will make the stronghold yield, and the cap- 
tives otir joyful prisoners. 

To foreigners who know not of the vast extent 
of our corn crop, and are ignorant of its vir- 
tues as himian food, this book will come as a 
revelation, and many Americans will, I fancy, 
find much herein that will be new to them re- 
specting this prolific grain — the product of 
our incomparable soil and climate, and the 
source of so much wealth and power to the 
nation. But if the only result of my endeavors 
be to cause a quicker flow of patriotic feeling 
in the breasts of my countrymen, I will be 
amply repaid for the time and labor I have 
freely given, without fee or reward. 

It has often been wondered that Indian com 
in its many forms is so little known in the 
United Kingdom. Except for the feeding of 
animals, Scotchmen are not familiar with the 
great variety of wholesome, appetizing, and 
palatable dishes that are found on the tables 
of the rich and poor in every section of the 
United States. This is not surprising, how- 
ever, as hitherto no attempt has been made 
to enlighten the people of these isles as to the 



Introduction xi 

merits and cheapness of what might be called 
America's national food. Thejmmense bene- 
fit that will restilt to the two coimtries by a 
removal of this ignorance will be readily ap- 
parent when it is considered that Indian corn 
makes a good substitute for wheat at less than 
one-half the price. It will be a glorious day 
for American farmers and the British people 
when, instead of burning the corn for fuel on 
Western prairies, this delicious food is served 
on the tables of all classes in these isles with 
saving to health and pocket. He who will 
hasten this day is doing missionary work of a 
most practical character, and it is my aim to 
be the hximble forerunner in the beneficent 
undertaking. 

A perusal of the following pages will show 
the interest and commendation my efforts 
have excited here and in my own country. 
I have to thank the Scottish press for their 
appreciation of the vast importance and sig- 
nificance of this movement, and to the promi- 
nent citizens of Edinburgh who have favored 
me with their indorsement, and to the people 
in general, I return my grateful acknowledg- 
ments. 

I wish to give full and grateful credit to 
ex- Governor Furnas, of Nebraska; Mrs. Mary 
S. Scott, wife of ex-Lieutenant-Govemor of 



xii Introduction 

Iowa, John Scott, an old comrade of mine 
in the Mexican War; and Orange Judd, Esq., 
editor of the Prairie Farmer, from whose ex- 
cellent works on Indian Corn I have quoted 
much valuable matter. 

C. J. M. 



Contents 



PAGE 

iii 



Editor's Foreword 

Introduction . . . . . . " ix 

American Indian Corn . . . . i 

Recipes for Corn Dishes Old and New . 28 
Hominy Dishes . . . . . -37 

Corn Breads and Muffins. ... 45 

Waffles, Pancakes, Fritters, and Dumplings 69 
Pop-corn Dishes. . . . . -73 

Green Corn Cookery . . , -76 

Desserts . . . . . . .92 

General Remarks on Indian Corn . . 106 



xm 



American Indian Corn' 

ITo endeavor to provide cheap and nutri- 
tious food for the toiling millions of Europe, 
is certainly a work of the highest and most 
practical importance. 

To the traveled man it reqmres but little 
observation to see what little variety of food 
there is to choose from. The white bread 
for the rich man in Germany, Belgium, and 
other European countries, black bread for the 
peasant, man and beast sharing alike, are the 
two single varieties of breadstuifs used by 
the people on the Continent. 

What has often been said of man's oppor- 
tunity if taken at the flood, and surely lead- 
ing to fortune, will apply with equal force 
and application to nations. That the United 
States of America can supply the demand 

^Lecture delivered by Charles j. Murphy before the National 
Agricultural Society at the International Congress of Millers, held 
in Paris, August 1889. 

I 



2 American Indian Corn 

for cheap wholesome breadstuff s no one will 
deny. That the fitting opportunity has ar- 
rived at Paris to demonstrate this, you will 
with me agree. 

This great International Exposition there- 
fore enables us to give practical illustra- 
tion of what can be done with our great 
staple. 

In relation to the value of Indian corn as 
human food and for other useful purposes, if 
you will favor me with your attention, I shall 
proceed to place facts and figures before you, 
which may prove of interest. 

ORIGIN 

Zthis wonderful product, which has conferred 
such substantial benefits on the world, strange 
to say, is of unknown origin — ^wrapped in 
mystery, or at least not definitely fixed. A 
learned author, after much thought and in- 
vestigation, concluded with the expression: 
^'Like that of wheat and barley, its origin is 
lost in the twilight of antiquity. " 

It was first cultivated in the United States 
by the English, on the James River, Virginia, 
in 1608, the seed of which was obtained from 
the Indians, who claimed to be the originators. 



American Indian Corn 3 

or first discoverers of the plant — ^receiving it 
direct from the hands of the Creator. School- 
craft gives their mythological history of it: 
"A yoting man went out into the woods to 
fast, at that period of life when youth is ex- 
changed for manhood. He built a lodge of 
boughs in a secluded place, and painted his 
face a somber hue. By day he amused him- 
self in walking about, looking at the various 
shrubs and wild plants, and at night lay down 
in his bower, through which, being open, he 
could look up into the sky. He sought a 
gift from the Master of Life, and he hoped it 
would be something to benefit his race. On the 
third day he became too weak to leave the 
lodge, and as he lay gazing upwards, he saw a 
spirit come down in the shape of a beautiful 
young man, dressed in green, and having green 
plumes on his head, who told him to arise and 
wrestle with him, as this was the only way in 
which he could obtain his wishes. He did 
so, and found his strength renewed by the 
effort. The visit and the trial of wrestling 
were repeated for four days, the youth feeling 
at each trial that, although his bodily strength 
declined, a moral and supernatural energy 
was imparted, which promised him the final 
victory. On the third day his celestial visitor 
spoke to him; 'To-morrow,' said he, *will be 



4 American Indian Corn 

the seventh day of yoiir fast, and the last time 
I shall wrestle with you. You will triumph 
over me, and gain your wishes. As soon as 
you have thrown me down, strip off my clothes 
and bury me on the spot in soft fresh earth. 
When you have done this, leave me, but come 
occasionally to visit the place, to keep the 
weeds from growing. Once or twice cover me 
with fresh earth.* He then departed, but 
returned the next day, and, as he had predicted 
was thrown down. The young man punc- 
tually obeyed his instructions in every parti- 
cular, and soon had the pleasure of seeing the 
green plumes of his sky visitor shooting up 
through the ground. He carefully weeded the 
earth, and kept it fresh and soft, and in due 
time was gratified by beholding the matured 
plant, bending with its golden fruit, and 
gracefully waving its green leaves and yellow 
tassel in the wind. He then invited his 
parents to the spot to behold the new plant. 
'It is Mondamin, * replied his father; "it 
is the Spirit's grain.' They immediately 
prepared a feast, and invited their friends 
to partake of it, and thus originated Indian 
Corn." 

Longfellow, in his beautiful verse, "Hia- 
watha,'' refers to this legend: 



American Indian Corn 5 

All around the happ}^ village, 
Stood the maize fields green and shining, 
Waved the green plumes of Mondamin ; 
Waved his soft and sunny tresses. 
Filling all the land with plenty. 

Before the summer ended, 
Stood the maize in all its beauty, 
With its shining robes about it ; 
With its long soft yellow tresses; 
And in rapture Hiawatha 
Cried aloud — "it is Mondamin"! 
Yes, the friend of man, Mondamin. 

Whatever the origin of corn may have been, 
whether with the Indians of North America, 
or ''on the slopes of the Andes, or in the fertile 
valleys of the mountains of China," modem 
botanists and naturalists are agreed that the 
origin was of the species %ea tunica — clothed 
corn. That is, each kernel was enveloped in 
a separate tunic or husk, similar to grains of 
wheat in the head. Descending frojn this 
type, species, classes, and varieties have 
become almost innumerable, each country, 
climate, soil, situation, and parallel having 
those suited to the eirctmistances. No plant 
accepts the modifications of soil, climate, and 
conditions so readily and quickly as corn. 
No other succeeds so well from the equator 
to say 50° north and south latitude. None is 



6 American Indian Corn 

so easily preserved through all seasons, and for 
such length of time. It is called both 'Hhe 
poor man's crop" and "the lazy man's crop/' 
because, particularly, it can be left standing in 
the field almost from one year's end to another, 
not requiring to be garnered at any specific 
period. This mode of caring for a corn crop, 
however, is not presented in the form of a 
recommendation, by any means, but simply 
as showing a characteristic. In any event, it 
is the crop for the million. 

SPECIES AND VALUE 

^here are at least five distinct races of 
species of corn: dent, flint, sweet, pop, and 
soft. These divisions are plainly marked, 
and easily distinguished by inspection of 
either, or both, ears and kernels. The number 
of what may be properly termed varieties are 
unlimited almost, the names principally local, 
few only having become of general use. White 
dent, yellow dent, Yankee flint, calico, bloody 
butcher, late sugar, early sugar, red pop, 
white pop, squaw, Chester County, or Penn- 
sylvania mammoth, and others that might be 
named, are known in almost all sections. In 
the collection on exhibition at New Orleans, 
there were seventy-five distinct varieties grown 



American Indian Corn 7 

in Nebraska. There are different types of 
growth under each of the principal divisions 
named, showing distinct characteristics, and 
which invariably produce ears true to their 
type, when kept free from others ; such as pure 
white, pure yellow, pure red, regular mixtures, 
eight rowed, and other numbered rows. The 
Indians have, by close attention, succeeded in 
opening a marked com of precise and exact 
mixtures of different colored grains on the 
same ear, each band having its peculiar mix- 
ture. For instance, one band has all red and 
white grains, another all pure black, and so 
on, with various distinctions, said to have 
originated as a means of detecting theft by 
one band from another. All may be simplified 
under these heads, viz. : dent, flint, etc., species; 
yellow, white, etc., classes; large, medium, and 
small types. 

After all, nomenclature is of secondary 
importance when compared with a standard 
of excellence. The first prime point in an ear 
of corn is its nutritive substance. It should 
show a proper proportion of protein, carbo- 
hydrates , and fat. It is generally considered 
that the flint and sugar varieties show a higher 
nutritive ratio than the dents. The latter 
however, are in more general use commercially, 
and therefore regarded as the standards. 



8 American Indian Corn 

Pop corn is another distinct species of which 
the varieties are many ; when gradually heated 
the oil in the kernels becomes converted into 
gas, which by its explosion produces the pheno- 
menon called ''popping." 

Examine the inside of a grain through a mi- 
croscope, first cutting the grain in the raiddle. 
May we not well call every kernel of corn a 
great starch box, each one with thousands of 
little boxes inside of a larger one. And then 
what a vast number! Why, a single ounce 
of average dent corn contains eighty good 
kernels, so the pound must have 1280 kernels, 
and a single bushel of com (56 lbs.) will count 
out at least twenty thousand of these wonder- 
ful starch boxes, or kernels, — to say nothing 
of the innttmerable interior boxes or starch 
cells. Who can write down figures enough to 
enumerate the kernels or starch boxes sup- 
plied in the 2,225,000,000 bushels of corn 
grown in our country (1888)? You cannot 
think of one million, yet the starch boxes 
would reach one hundred and twelve millions 
of millions, or one hundred and twelve trillions, 
112,000,000,000 kernels, or seventy -seven 
thousand such starch boxes for every man, 
woman, and child on the whole surface of the 
earth. 
. And yet we have not said anything about the 



American Indian Corn 9 

wonderftJ structure and uses of the lower in- 
side of our kernel of corn; of the germ that 
starts into growth to produce a new com stalk; 
of how it is surrounded and protected ; or how, 
as it grows, it feeds upon the starch and other 
food stored up in the box or kernel. 

I make bold to assert the belief that among 
all the factors of culture in the United States, 
corn takes precedence in the scale of crops 
as best adapted to more soils, climates, and 
conditions ; is used for more purposes; furnishes 
more nutritive food for man and beast; has 
more commercial, cultural, and economic 
value; gives more grain to the acre than any 
other cereal ; more fodder than any other of the 
grasses; puts our beef in prime order; fattens 
our pork ; is the basis of our butter and cheese 
supply ; furnishes immense manufacturing ma- 
terial; has twice the value of cotton; worth 
fifty per cent, more than wheat; its influence 
on the prosperity and wealth of the United 
States is greater than that of any other cul- 
tivated plant; and to the transportation com- 
panies, has ''millions in it." The belief has 
been expressed that had not the Pilgrim 
Fathers discovered this golden grain the first 
winter they landed on our shores, this ''land 
of the free and home of the brave" would 
to-day be an "unsolved problem." But why 



10 American Indian Corn 

extend? Its uses and value are endless and 
incalculable. 

In round numbers, the corn crop of the 
United States for 1885 is put down at two 
billions of bushels, a gain of near ten per cent, 
on 1884. In the corn acreage of the entire 
country there was a gain of six per cent. In 
the twelve leading corn States, seven per cent. ; 
four per cent, in the South, and one per cent, 
in the New England States. 

OUR MOST IMPORTANT CROP 

Undian corn is held in small esteem, because 
it is grown so easily and so abundantly in 
almost all climates and locations, and on a 
greater variety of soils than any other leading 
crop. We find it flourishing on the borders of 
the realm where the sun unlocks the soil from 
the grasp of the ice king but a few days in 
summer — scarcely a quarter of each year. 
And it grows with increasing luxuriance as we 
descend toward the tropics. It reaches its 
greatest perfection in what is appropriately 
termed the ''Corn Belt," embraced in the 
States of Illinois and those lying eastward 
and westward of this commonwealth. As 
food for man and beast no other crop in our 
country approaches corn. Pound for poimd 



American Indian Corn n 

and bushel for bushel, it supplies as much 
nutriment as wheat itself, though, on account 
of its abundance, costing considerably less 
than one half as much. Corn, taking a 
series of years together, is far more certain 
than wheat. 

We have seen the Indians gathering their 
winter supplies on the upper Missotm, where 
the fev/ days in which there was no frost 
scarcely allowed their Rhea corn to get a foot 
above the surface. But as if determined to 
do its best, it then sends out its bunches of 
ears and perfects the kernels. 

Of the magnitude of the com crop, very few 
persons have any real conception. We talk 
glibly of millions, and even billions, yet the 
human mind is little able to com.prehend a 
single million in detail. Last year, the as- 
certained crop was two thousand million of 
bushels; and no doubt the average annual 
product of corn in our country will soon reach 
over two billion bushels, or two thousand sepa- 
rate millions. Yet a single million, loaded 
into railway cars, five hundred bushels in each, 
would require two thousand such cars, and 
make up a continuous train, eight miles 
long. To aid the reader's conception, I quote, 
a few lines, from the annual address at the 
Nebraska State Fair last year, by the editor 



12 American Indian Corn 

of the Prairie Farmer. Referring to the 
six-State ''Corn Patch/' embracing Indiana, 
Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, 
the com product of which the previous year 
(1884) was 1,090,351,000 bushels, he said: 
''The aggregate population producing this 
crop was just about ten millions, or 109 bushels 
for every man, woman, or child, the inhabitants 
of both cities and villages being included. 
For a practical purpose, as you will see further 
on, I want you to get some idea of the vastness 
of this corn crop you are growing. To say a 
thousand and ninety million bushels does not 
tell the story plainly enough. Let us load it 
upon wagons. One can think of ten bushels 
thus loaded with the team and driver taking it 
to market. Start off one team eastward, allow- 
ing thirty feet in road for wagon, team, and 
a little headway. Start another team follow- 
ing, with forty bushels more, and then another, 
and another, the forward team headed for 
New York, and the others following on, until 
our corn crop of last year in this one six- 
State patch is all loaded up. Where do you 
think the forward team would be when the 
last load is on? Down in Ohio? In Pennsyl- 
vania? In New York? Out in the Atlantic? 
Over in Europe? Away in Asia? Over in 
Japan? Into the Pacific Ocean? Stretching 



American Indian Corn 13 

still across the broad surface of that, on to 
San Francisco? Across CaHfornia? [Follow 
in the mind, eastward, the string of wagons 
taking thirty feet each, with forty bushels each 
of good shelled corn.] — It would stretch 
over all the distances we have named. The 
head of the line would come across California 
and down from the Rocky Moimtains — a 
string of such teams clear aroimd the world, 
and when the head of the line got to us, not one 
bushel out of six would yet be on the wagons ; 
this one year's crop, in only this six-State 
patch would fill six rows of such wagon loads 
clear around the world, with about four thou- 
sand miles of wagon loads more still to get into 
line ! The line of wagons would stretch away 
in a straight line 154,879 miles! Or, this one 
year's crop would fill over forty-four continu- 
ous lines of wagon loads, from Boston to San 
Francisco ! — Once more : You have seen over a 
dozen such wagon loads, or five hundred 
bushels, emptied into a single freight car, only 
forty feet long, including its platforms. Let 
us see what otir last year's com (in these six 
States only) would do if thus loaded in five 
hundred bushel lots, and the freight cars 
started off on the railway track, one after 
another. The freight train would stretch out 
and out to New York, across the Atlantic, 



14 American Indian Corn 

across Europe, and nearly across Asia, before 
the last car was on the track. The cars 
would form four continuous freight trains 
from New York to San Francisco — clear 
across our whole country — ^with a train 2500 
miles long left over ! Think over these wagon 
loads again; more than six lines of these 
around the world; these freight-car loads; 
over four and one half trains from the Atlantic 
to the Pacific ! All this corn from our central 
six-State corn patch. But while these figiires 
are wonderful, they teach a lesson of vast 
importance to you, and I have given these 
striking illustrations to fix your attention upon 
the practical lesson. Suppose you and all the 
others had simply grown eleven stalks, or 
eleven ears where you grew ten — only one 
ear more in all the hills that furnished ten ears. 
What would have been the result? It would 
have given an extra string of forty-bushel 
wagon loads, reaching from here to the At- 
lantic, across the Atlantic, across Europe, and 
nearly across Asia. It would have given four 
and one half extra strings of wagon loads from 
San Francisco to Boston. It wotild have filled 
extra freight cars enough, each holding five 
hundred bushels, to have made up a freight 
train from the Missouri River to New York 
City. At the average price in Chicago, this 



American Indian Corn 15 

extra one car in each ten woiild have turned 
in forty-four milHons cash. At a Httle less 
than twenty-four cents per bushel this extra 
ear for each ten grown would have equaled in 
cash value a full half of the entire farm pro- 
ducts of Nebraska, live stock included." 

So heavily loaded a train travels slowly, and 
would require a whole year to pass through 
Chicago. For hours the express train whirls 
past a green ocean of corn, wherein not a hill 
is missing. Its towering stalks would afford 
secure ambush for an army of 1,000,000 of 
men, mounted and foot, artillery, ambulances, 
mule trains, and stragglers. 

The present price of corn is very low, and if 
the life is to be pounded out of it, and no relief 
comes, the farmers must let their lands return 
to grass, and their only hope lies in an in- 
creased export demand. According to the 
State Agricultural report of 1888 Iowa 
is the banner State for corn, last year having 
raised on 7,797,090 acres a total product of 
321,629,961 bushels. The average price paid 
is only twenty-three cents per bushel; com- 
mercial value of crop $93,974,891. This is 
almost equal to the value of all the gold, silver, 
and lead mined in the United States in 1886, 
which was $87,535,000. It is almost a larger 
sum than all the railroads in the United States 



i6 American Indian Corn 

paid in dividends on stocks in that year. It is 
$8,000,000 more than the total net earnings of 
all the National banks of America, and is 
considerably more than the total dividends 
paid by those banks in 1887. It gives to every 
man, woman, and child in the State, after re- 
serving seed for eight million acres, nearly 
twelve thousand bushels or six tons of corn. 

An increase of only five cents a bushel on 
last year's (1888) crop would amount to 
nearly $100,000,000. 

OUR GREAT CORN STATES 

■f 

3from the official returns of the Iowa Agri- 
cultural Society, the yield of the corn States 
was as follows : 

Acres Bushels 

Iowa 7,797,090 321,629,961 

Illinois. 7,047,813 277,726,451 

Indiana 3,419,377 128,436,284 

Kansas. 5,574,465 168,755,087 

Missouri 6,447,168 210,822,394 

Nebraska.. 2,604,216 84,126,352 

Ohio 1,460,082 90,423,821 

Total for the seven States 1,281,920,350 

Of this, our greatest crop, we export to all 
the world about only four per cent, of our whole 
production. All the other cereals bow alle- 



American Indian Corn 17 

giance to corn. Had the soil of North America 
refused to yield corn, the progress of Western 
civilization would be retarded a half century. 
Corn has built more miles of railroad, erected 
more buildings, clothed and fed more people 
than any other product of American soil. 
Corn built Chicago, and when Chicago was 
reduced to ashes, rebuilt her. With a ■ pro- 
phetic appreciation of a possible ultimate ex- 
istence in liquid form, it does not like water. 
If the soil be wet and cold, it turns yellow with 
spleen, and dies untimely. 

The principal European countries favor the 
importation of corn, as there are no duties 
levied on it in the United Kingdom, Germany, 
France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, 
etc. 

I doubt if the projectors of either of the 
canals across the Isthmus in Central America 
ever considered, that if one is ever finished, 
a great part of the freight going to the Pacific 
would be composed of American corn. I have 
lately investigated this matter, and I find that 
com can be landed on the coast of China in 
thirty days from New Orleans by steam, and 
can be sold, considering the present price of 
com at home, for half the price of rice, which, as 
everybody knows, is the principal food of the 
Chinese, and when they find this out, it won't 



i8 American Indian Corn 

take the Chinaman long to learn how to cook 
it. I know the habits of these Chinese well; 
I was a merchant in Shanghai some years ago, 
and these people are so poor they will eat 
anything that will sustain life, cheapness 
being the first consideration. Then just think 
the quantity they would take when once 
introduced, when we consider that the popu- 
lation of that vast country is nearly four 
hundred million people. 

Our corn crop gathered in 1889 is the largest 
the country ever produced, estimated at over 
two billions, two hundred and fifty million 
bushels of fifty-six pounds each were raised 
on nearly eighty million acres of the finest 
land in the world, and the crop will bring us 
in nearly seven hundred million dollars. 

Our school teachers are now by law required 
to teach many abstract things that we scarcely 
heard of in our young days. How would it 
seem to have them teach the various uses of 
corn to the rising generation? It would be 
something tangible that the youthful mind 
could grasp, and would relieve and rest the 
faculties after laboring with anatomy, physi- 
ology, and the like, besides preparing the 
rising generation for using, advocating, and 
recommending this our greatest staple crop, 
and when lessons are given jn cooking, sup-. 



American Indian Corn 19 

pose a palatable corn dodger be given pre- 
cedence. 

My plan included a Corn Palace and the 
illustrations of the various foods made from 
corn, in order to enlighten the world as far 
as practicable on the subject of Indian corn 
as food. It would have been prepared and 
cooked in presence of the multitude, and dis- 
tributed free in its most appetizing forms. 
How important such an enterprise would be 
when given before the representatives of 
millions of people to whom such uses of the 
grain are unknown, and to whom the only 
available argument is by means of ocular 
demonstration, and by the application of the 
old adage that '^the proof of the pudding is 
in the eating.** Considering the extremely 
low price at which corn can be laid down at a 
foreign port as compared with wheat, it would 
very likely find its way into hundreds of thou- 
sands of households, both on the Continent 
and in the United Kingdom, where wheat 
bread is a luxury, and rye bread and oatmeal 
the common food of the peasant, the farmer, 
and the poorer class of mechanics. 

When its preparation for the palate of the 
epiciu-e is understood, it would be in demand 
for the tables of the wealthy, and when re- 
presentatives of royalty come to taste this 



20 American Indian Corn 

most palatable and nutritious food, it may 
become the fashion to rear the young princes 
on the grainy in which case we would need to 
greatly increase the acreage to supply the demand 
for exportation. 

With the greater familiarity with the mul- 
tiple uses to which corn may be applied as a 
food, both in the United States and in Europe, 
may grow a steady demand that will in a few 
years take all the surplus we can spare, to- 
gether with that produced in the few corn belts 
in other parts of the world; and it is of the 
greatest importance to the agriculturist of the 
United States, to whom additional outlets for 
their products, particularly that of corn, are 
absolutely necessary. 

Of the two billions of bushels crop of 1885, 
18,927,982 bushels were used for distillation; 
a bushel of corn when converted into whisky 
represents seventeen quarts of this liquid fire. 

An English agricultural writer and lecturer 
on bread-making at the Polytechnic Institute 
(I quote from his article in a London journal) , 
says: ''We are familiar with maize in a whole 
form chiefly for cattle-feeding purposes, but 
the substance generally sold as corn flour is 
also the starch of maize specially prepared. 
Maize, or as it is generally called, Indian corn, 
is a most productive grain; its nutritive value 



American Indian Corn 21 

compared with wheat is high. It is unsuit- 
able for baking into large or thick loaves on 
account of the difficulty of thoroughly cooking 
the interior parts. In the Western States of 
America it is prepared in the form of cakes, 
like thick oaten cakes, and cooked before the 
fire or in an oven, these 'buckwheat^ cakes, as 
they are called, are best eaten hot with butter 
and milk. This food is really very nourishing. * ' 

I merely instance this writer in order to 
show the foreigners' ignorance of this valuable 
food, although the lecturer admits its great 
merits as a wholesome and nutritive grain for 
human consumption. 

Our annual surplus of corn is enormous, and 
it is a very pertinent and a very important 
question to find a market for the largest part 
of the surplus. We manage, indeed, to get rid 
of it annually in various ways, in feeding cattle 
and hogs, as a part of the food of our people, 
in the making of glucose, which manufacture is 
of late years assuming enormous proportions; 
we also use immense quantities in the manu- 
facture of beer, starch, and whisky, and in pre- 
parations sold as table delicacies. The latest 
discovery has been the production of oil from 
the germ, and two manufactories are now 
turning out considerable quantities, which 
meet with a ready sale. The canning of sweet 



22 American Indian Corn 

green, corn is also increasing enormously. 
Of considerable importance is the use of com 
fodder for domestic animals, for besides the 
extensive use of grain there is the utilization 
of the juicy stalks and leaves, and now that 
ensilage is coming into much favor, the con- 
sumption of cow corn has become very large. 
Perhaps the most singular use to which com 
has been put is that of fuel, as has sometimes 
happened in the treeless regions of the West. 
It has been burned and found a thoroughly 
good substitute for wood or coal. 

Every part is utilized, even to the husks, 
which are used by paper-makers as a material 
for pulp; by upholsterers as filling for mat- 
tresses and the like ; by the orange growers of 
Southern Europe for packing their fruit; by 
the South Americans as cigarette wrappers, 
and is much used for a kind of coarse door mat. 
But enough has been said to make it plain 
that corn must rank among the most useftil 
plants known to man. 

So large is the supply that it can only be 
absorbed at home by putting down the price 
to the lowest figures. The average price paid 
officially, given in the Agricultural Biireau re- 
port (1890), was only twenty -three cents per 
bushel, a price which is entirely unremunera- 
tive to our farmers. 



American Indian Corn 23 

My ambition is to teach the people of the 
world how simiptuously they can live on this 
comparatively unknown grain that contains as 
much actual nourishment as the best wheaten 
flour, oatmeal, or any other farinaceous food. 
In the extent and variety of its forms and uses, 
few plants will bear comparison with maize. 
The plant itself is the most beautiful of all 
the cereals, and a field of it in full growth is at 
once lovely and impressive. The long, grace- 
fully tapering dark green leaves are sur- 
mounted by bright straw-colored blossoms, 
and as they wave and rustle in the breeze, the 
sight is charming to the eye. From the stalk 
grow the ears, which nestle among the leaves, 
being further protected by a sheathing of many 
folds, from which depend silken tassels called 
''corn silk." 

Indian corn meal, com starch, hominy, pop 
and sweet corn, mahogany-colored loaves of 
Boston brown bread, Indian pones, golden 
Johnny cakes, corn mush, Indian pudding, 
corn dodgers, green corn pudding, com griddle 
cakes, corn-meal, crimipets, corn waffles and 
gophers, croquettes, and corn fritters, canned 
com and succotash, pinole, samp, corn grits, 
cereal flakes, and numerous other com pre- 
parations are produced which are as pleasing 
to the eye as they are grateful to the palate. 



24 American Indian Corn 

From this food the hard-working active 
man can draw health to meet the drain upon 
his nervous system, and his muscle for every 
effort. Corn furnishes more material for hard 
work than any other known grain. It is rich 
in food for muscle and brain. It secures 
health and strength, with economy and 
pleasure in the eating. 

As an article of himian consumption, com 
is the chief bread food of many tropical and 
semi-tropical countries; it is to the Mexican 
what rice is to the Chinaman. 

Corn, in the shape of pinole, is now served 
out as a ration in the Mexican army, and from 
late discoveries among the aborigines of Ari- 
zona, the process has been discovered whereby 
baked corn bread can be preserved sweet and 
in good condition for a year and more, and one 
of the objects of my mission in Europe is to 
endeavor to introduce the use of corn food 
into the armies of Europe, which would cause 
a saving of a fabulous amotmt of money 
annually. 

In the early history of Egypt, Greece, and 
Rome, com was extensively used, and the 
highest intellectual, as well as physical achieve- 
ments of those days were accomplished under 
a regimen of corn. 

Com stands peerless in rank araong the 



American Indian Corn 25 

cereal products of the earth. Its hygienic, 
culinary, and scientific excellence is not siiffi- 
ciently known, as comfort, health, and pros- 
perity are so dependent on what we eat and 
drink that corn is the best adapted, for not 
only producing a healthy and strong body and 
mind, but also for preserving both in that 
condition. 

Piso and other Spanish doctors have writ- 
ten treatises on the medicinal virtues of this 
grain. It was the only bread used in America 
by the Spaniards for many years after its 
discovery. 

The toiling millions on the continent con- 
tinue to eat their bitter black bread, or sjpend 
more than they can afford for wheaten loaves, 
while the value and palatableness of com re- 
main almost unknown to them. 

The capacity of corn, as a food, has not 
begun to be appreciated even in the United 
States. The preparation of corn may be 
infinitely more varied than that of wheat. 
Americans have never taken a proper pride 
in this great native cereal Indian corn. Nearly 
every other country has its special food pro- 
duct, which it claims as its own distinctively, 
whether native to the soil or not, and vaunts 
its merits until it becomes inseparably as- 
sociated in each case with the national idea. 



26 American Indian Corn 

Ireland has given its name to the potato, al- 
though that tuber is of American origin. 

Scotland does not boast of its oat crop, but 
Scotch oat cakes are the people's pride. 

Germans dote on their rye bread; entire 
races in Asia exist on rice, and are happy. 

With numerous preparations of corn, white 
as snow, yellow as gold, fine as wheat flour, 
ground or in dainty flakes, some unreasonable 
Americans prefer to irritate their interior with 
indigestible oat meal or tasteless rice, and in 
place of the com bread, that made their 
pioneer ancestors robust and vigorous, they 
consume the sticky rye and dainty but less 
nourishing wheaten loaves. From a hygienic 
standpoint, however, if for no other, it would 
be well for them to become acquainted with 
the culinary possibilities of Indian com. 

I can personally speak of the sustaining 
power of Indian corn, for in the early days of 
our war of the rebellion I was a prisoner of 
war in Richmond, being captured at the battle 
of Bull Run. I was fortimate enough to be 
one of the first three oflicers who escaped from 
that prison; my companions were General 
Wm. H. Raynor, now of Toledo, Ohio, and 
Colonel Jno. R. Hurd, now of Syracuse, 
Kansas. We were eleven days reaching the 
Potomac River, and during all that long and 



American Indian Corn 27 

dreary tramp through the woods and swamps 
of Virginia, subject to intense excitement, we 
had nothing to eat but raw corn, gathered at 
long intervals, which fortified us in our race 
for liberty. 

The great difficulty of introducing corn for 
table use in Europe is the ignorance that 
prevails as to the proper methods of cooking it. 
In the rough way it has ordinarily been tried 
it has not been foimd palatable. Before it can, 
therefore, be introduced on European tables 
and its merits appreciated, there must be ex- 
plicit instructions given in its preparation. 

Charles J. Murphy. 



Recipes for Corn Dishes Old and 

New 

CORN-MEAL MUSH OR **HASTY 
PUDDING" 

(Take one quart of fresh yellow com meal 
and wet it thoroughly with a pint of cold 
water. Put three pints of water into an 
iron pot and add to it one tablespoon of salt 
and a teaspoon of butter. 'WTien the water 
boils add the corn-meal mixture, stirring until 
it is smooth and well mixed, then set back to 
boil slowly for an hotir and a half. Serve hot 
with sugar and cream or with butter and syrup. 
The mush may also be turned into a wet mold 
to cool and set for frying. The old name of 
*' hasty pudding" was given the mush when 
It was boiled for a hasty meal, in fifteen 
minutes, a fact which caused the underdone 
meal to disagree with those who ate the mush. 

BAKED MUSH 

fIDake the mush for baking the same as in 

28 



American Indian Corn 29 

the preceding recipe, boiling it only half as 
long. Tiirn the mush into a shallow buttered 
pan, brush over with butter, and bake for two 
hours in a moderate oven, or until it is well 
browned on top. Serve hot with sugar and 
cream, syrup, or a good cheese sauce. 

POLENTA 

(A ritalienne) 

IThis is another way of baking the mush. 
In America, where the polenta meal is difficult 
to procure, com meal is substituted. Put a 
quart of milk in a saucepan and bring it to 
boiling point, then sift in very slowly enough 
corn meal to make a thick porridge, stir 
continually, and when it is smooth add an 
ounce of Parmesan cheese, then turn the 
mixture into a buttered mold and bake for 
twenty minutes. This is served with the roast 
or as a luncheon dish. Another way to make 
the dish, perhaps more modern, is to make the 
mixture the same as for mush, then turn it 
into a wet mold to set and harden. When 
cold it is cut into blocks and placed in a 
buttered pudding dish, or square pan, the 
blocks being set apart and in layers, with 
Parmesan cheese sprinkled thickly between 
and on top, then baked imtil it is a good brown. 



30 American Indian Corn 

BAKED VEGETABLE MUSH 

flDake the mush the same as for the pre- 
ceding dish. When cold cut in thin sUces, lay 
in a buttered baking dish, dust with cheese, 
then cover with a layer of boiled and sliced 
carrots, turnips, white potatoes, and minced 
onions. Season and arrange in layers imtil 
the dish is full. Bake for one hour; serve as 
a luncheon dish, with a smooth tomato sauce. 

BAKED BERRY MUSH 

flDake the mush as at first directed and 
when thoroughly cooked add to it a quart 
of well-washed and picked-over blueberries, 
and a cup of sugar, then turn into the mold 
to set. Serve with crean^ and sugar for a 
children's luncheon dish. 

FRIED MUSH 

flDake in the usual way, then turn into a 
wet mold and let stand to cool and harden. 
Cut in meditmi slices, three inches long, and 
fry in hot fat. When a delicate brown drain 
and pile on a hot platter. Serve maple 
syrup or melted butter firmed with sugar and 
flavored with a little lemon jmce. 



American Indian Corn 31 

CRUMBED FRIED MUSH 

IKHhen the cold mush is sliced, roll the 
slices in beaten egg then in fine cracker dust, 
fry in hot fat. This may be served with a 
sweet sauce or with a smooth well-seasoned 
tomato sauce. 

CROQUETTES OF MUSH 

flDake one quart of mush and when it is cool 
add a heaping tablespoon of butter, a half 
teaspoon of salt, and beat In two eggs. Mix 
thoroughly and when cold take a spoonful at 
a time, roll on a floured board and shape 
into croquettes three inches long. Dust with 
pepper and salt and lay on a floured plate. 
When ready fry in deep fat, drain, and serve 
in a napkin garnished with parsley. To- 
mato sauce, or a shrimp sauce, is good with 
the croquettes. 

CORN-MEAL FISH CAKES 

fIDake one pound of corn-meal mush and 
when cooked add to it a piece of butter the 
size of an egg, a half teaspoon of salt, a salt- 
spoon of pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. 
Take two pounds of cold boiled codfish; skin, 



32 American Indian Corn 

bone, and flake it fine. When the com meal 
is cool enough work the fish in, and if it is too 
stiff add a little cream. Form into fish cakes, 
dust them with flour, and lay on a floured plate. 
A beaten egg may be added but it is not neces- 
sary. If salt dry codfish is used then soak it 
thoroughly, and let it simmer at the back of the 
stove for an hour before freeing from skin and 
bone and flaking. Fry in pork fat and serve 
with a little piece of fried pork on top of each 
cake. 

PORK SCRAPPLE 

Clean thoroughly and boil two split hogs* 
heads, hocks, and feet; boil until the meat 
leaves the bones; as the meat cools, take out 
all bones and when cold remove the grease. 
Remove grease from the water they were 
boiled in. Cut the meat into small pieces 
and return it to the liquor, season well, and 
when it boils stir in enough of a mixture of one 
third floitr and two thirds com meal to thicken 
to the consistency of mush. Stir evenly and 
boil for ten minutes, then turn into a wet mold. 
When cold and set, slice in mediiun slices and 
fry in hot fat using a steel or iron frying pan. 
Drain and serve hot garnished with fried apple 
rings. 



American Indian Corn 33 

BEEF SCRAPPLE 

Select a three-pound piece of bottom round, 
plunge it into boiling water and boil until 
tender ; put a cheesecloth bag filled with soup 
herbs and vegetables in to boil with the meat 
for flavoring which may be easily withdrawn 
when the meat is done. Take the meat from 
the liquor, add the seasoning, and thicken 
with a pint of corn meal wet with a little water 
to the consistency of mush. Cook until the 
meal is done, then add the meat carefully 
minced, cook fifteen minutes longer, then turn 
into a long loaf pan, that has been wet with 
cold water, to firm. When needed slice and 
fry. 

CORN MEAL AND CHICKEN SAUSAGE 

CSiake one quart of corn-meal mush. Select 

one short plump chicken weighing about three 

and a half poimds. Clean thoroughly and boil 

until it begins to be tender. Add a savory 

bouquet of herbs and a bud of garlic to the water 

as it boils. When cool enough to handle remove 

the bones and chop the meat very fine. Chop 

and free from fiber a quarter pound of suet, add 

to the meat, season with pepper, salt, a little 

gage, and a teaspoon of sugar. Add a gener- 
3 



34 American Indian Corn 

ous lump of butter to the mush and mix all 
together. Mold into sausages, roll in flour, 
and fry in hot pork fat. Or soak a pig's caul 
in cold water, cut it, and cover the sausages. 

CORN MEAL FOR BREADING 

3for breading cutlets, chops, fish, oysters, or 
the various croquettes, use two parts corn meal 
to one part flour ; dip the article in beaten egg 
then in the meal mixture, shaking off all that 
does not adhere; dust with pepper and salt 
and fry in hot fat. 

CORN-MEAL GRUEL 

IFnto one pint of boiling water put a half 
teaspoon of salt. Mix two tablespoons of sifted 
meal with cold water enough to make a smooth 
batter, then stir It into the hot water. Boil 
one hour, stirring carefully. If too thick thin 
it with a little hot milk. This is very delicate 
and a useful beverage for the invalid tray 

VEGETARIAN ROAST 

fBiake one pint of corn-meal mush. Drain 
and mash one quart of freshly cooked peas, 
chop very fine and add one onion and one 



American Indian Corn 35 

green pepper, grind a half cup of walnuts, and 
mash two potatoes smooth, mix all together 
and add to the mush. Season with a good-sized 
lump of butter, pepper, salt, and a few drops 
of kitchen bouquet. Mix and turn into a 
buttered oblong baking pan and bake for an 
hour. Turn out onto a hot platter and serve 
with brown mushroom sauce or tomato sauce. 
This is an excellent meat substitute. 

INDIAN PEMMICAN 

H famous food carried by Indians when 
on the warpath, all tribes following the same 
general formula in the making. Dried venison 
meat pulverized, boiled and chopped vege- 
tables, including wild onions, plenty of beans, 
wild cherries, crushed stones and all, and 
ground com meal — the mass being cemented 
together with bear's grease. When cold and 
firm it was sliced down like bologna and was a 
complete meal, a balanced ration. 

CORNLETTES 

pour a thin layer of boiled mush into a but- 
tered shallow pan, cover it with a layer of cold 
boiled fresh ham chopped fine, highly seasoned, 
and moistened with tart apple sauce enough 



36 American Indian Corn 

to make a spreading paste. Dot with lumps 
of butter, pour on another layer of mush, 
and set aside to cool. When cool cut in three- 
inch squares, lay on a shallow baking pan, 
greased, dust with grated cheese, and put in 
the oven long enough to heat and brown the 
cheese; serve, with a rich brown sauce, for a 
luncheon or dinner dish. 



Hominy Dishes 
COARSE HOMINY 

IKHash and soak overnight one cup of coarse 
hominy. In the morning boil it in plenty of 
water, well covered, until tender, then remove 
the cover and let the water evaporate. Watch, 
and stir often so that it does not burn. Stir 
in a heaping tablespoon of butter before serv- 
ing. Hominy requires long, slow, and steady 
cooking. 

FINE HOMINY 

XKHash and soak, overnight, one cup of fine 
hominy. In the morning drain and put into 
a double boiler with two and a half cups of 
milk, cover, and boil steadily for one hour. 
Remove cover and add a half teaspoon of 
salt and a little more milk if it seems to be 
boiling too dry. The hominy may be served 
with cream and sugar for a breakfast cereal, 
or with meat in place of rice. It may also be 

37 



38 American Indian Corn 

molded and cooled to serve with cream and 
sugar, or crushed fresh fruit, for the nursery 
luncheon. 



FRIED COARSE HOMINY 

ITake a cup, or more if needed, of cold boiled 
hominy and place it in a pan with a generous 
lump of butter. When the hominy is hot 
and begins to fry keep stirring it with a fork 
until it browns lightly then turn onto a hot 
dish. Serve with sausages or pork chops. 
If this is to be served by itself for a luncheon 
dish then add to it a cup of the filling pre- 
pared for Spanish omelettes which comes 
already prepared in bottles. If it is not at 
hand then saute in a little butter, a chopped 
onion, pepper, a tomato, and a few chives, 
and add, when they are done, to the hominy. 
Season with pepper, salt, and two tablespoons 
of olive oil. 

FRIED FINE HOMINY 

Cut the molded hominy in slices and fry 
the same as mush. Serve with sugar and 
cream, crushed fruit sauce, or a brown sauce, 
if it is to be used as a vegetable dish. 



American Indian Corn 39 

BAKED HOMINY 

^ake one cup of coarse hominy and stir into 
it a tablespoon of melted butter, a saltspoon of 
salt, a teaspoon of sugar, two beaten fresh 
egg yolks, and two cups of milk, added slowly. 
When the mixture is smooth add the stiffly 
beaten egg whites, bake a delicate brown in 
a buttered pudding dish. Serve with roast 
pork. 

HOMINY DATE MOLD 

©oil one and a half cups of hominy until 
thoroughly done, add a teaspoon of salt, and a 
tablespoon of sugar. Just before turning into 
a wet mold add a tablespoon of butter. When 
cold cut in quarter-inch slices and lay up on a 
buttered baking pan in alternate layers with 
pitted and halved dates, bread crumbs, pepper, 
salt, grated cheese, and butter ; turn over all a 
quarter cup of cream and cook in the oven 
covered for twenty minutes and then uncover 
and delicately brown. Serve plain or with a 
good creamy cheese sauce. This is made by the 
addition of a half cup of grated cheese to two 
cups of cream sauce, add the juice of an onion, 
paprika, a level teaspoon of sugar, and a tea- 
spoon of chopped tarragon leaves. 



40 American Indian Corn 

HOMINY CROQUETTES 

Mlork to a smooth paste one large cup of 
cold, fine, boiled hominy, one tablespoon of 
soft butter, and a half cup of rich milk. Warm 
the mixture, then add a teaspoon of sugar and 
the yolks of two eggs. Stir over the fire until 
it thickens, then set aside to cool. When cold, 
flour the hands and form it into oblong balls 
and dip into the white of the eggj to which have 
been added a tablespoon of water and a pinch 
of salt ; roll in fine crumbs and fry in hot oil or 
fat. Drain, and serve on a hot platter with 
any sauce liked. 

HOMINY MUFFINS 

!Beat two cups of cold, boiled, fine hominy 
smooth, add three cups of sweet milk, yolks of 
three eggs, well beaten, a quarter cup of melted 
butter, two teaspoons of salt, two tablespoons 
of sugar, two teaspoons of baking powder 
sifted with a cup and a half of flour. Mix 
thoroughly, then add the beaten whites of the 
eggs, pour into greased iron gem pans, and 
bake. 

HOMINY WAFFLES 

tTake one cup of warm, fine hominy and 
add to it one cup of milk, a half teaspoon of 



American Indian Corn 41 

salt, two beaten eggs, one teavSpoon of baking 
powder, and enough flour to make a thin 
batter. Bake in a hot well -greased waffle iron. 
Serve with fresh butter and hot honey. 

HOMINY FRITTERS 

flDake a smooth fritter batter of one pint 
of cold, boiled, fine hominy, a half cup of cream, 
two tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in a 
little bit of milk, two well-beaten eggs, a tea- 
spoon of baking powder mixed in a tablespoon 
of flour and a saltspoon of salt. If the hominy 
is freshly cooked and still warm it will mix 
more readily; if cold it can be warmed by 
standing a few minutes in boiling water, then 
drain it and mash smooth before mixing it 
with the other ingredients. 

HOMINY PUDDING 

3Boil three quarters of a cup of fine hominy 
in a pint and a half of rich milk. Beat two 
eggs and add to them a cup of sugar, a tea- 
spoon of rose extract, and a tablespoon of 
melted butter. Pour in the hominy, stir well, 
turn into a buttered pudding dish and bake 
in a hot oven twenty minutes. 



42 American Indian Corn 

MADEIRA MILHO 

Soak nine ounces of fine hominy overnight. 
In the morning drain and put in a saucepan 
with three pints of clear water; stir until it 
boils, then add a level teaspoon of salt and 
two ounces of beef drippings. Boil, stirring 
often, for one hour. Eat like porridge, with 
butter and sugar or honey and cream. 

HAM HOMINY FRITTERS 

flDix two cups of cold, boiled hominy with 
two beaten eggs, a half cup of milk, a salt- 
spoon of salt, a teaspoon of baking powder 
added to a cup and a half of flour, and a half 
cup of cold boiled ham chopped, fine. Beat 
well and drop by spoonfuls into hot fat. 
Drain, and serve in a napkin garnished with 
parsley and lemon quarters. A teaspoon of 
sugar in the batter is an addition to the flavor, 
and aids in browning the fritters. 

SAMP 

ZEhis is com that has been prepared by 
being boiled in lye, or wood ashes, to remove the 
outer skin ; it is then thoroughly washed before 
cooking. It is used almost the same as rice, 



American Indian Corn 43 

though it reqtdres longer cooking and is very 
hearty. The Indians added it to their veni- 
son stew, cooked it in maple syrup, or made 
it into a thin gruel for a nourishing drink. 
They also mixed it with meal made of parched 
com and cooked it in water and a little maple 
syrup for a sort of coffee. 



1917 War Coffee 

fBMx together, thoroughly rubbing with the 
hands until the mixture resembles soft brown 
sugar, two quarts of bran, one quart of corn 
meal, and a large cup of molasses. Spread the 
mixture in a large dripping pan, brown it in a 
slow oven, stirring it often with a long -handled 
spoon until it is a rich seal brown. Do not 
let it scorch or birrn. When done, put in jars 
like regular coffee. In making the coffee allow 
two tablespoonfuls to one and a half cups 
of clear water to a person. Boil the coffee 
well and serve hot milk or cream with it. 
For those who have corn in their garden they 
may dry the corn in the oven carefully, shuck 
and grind it in a coffee mill very easily. 

PINOLE 

(The Mexican Indians roasted corn, then 
ground it into coarse meal which they mixed 
with sugar and spices, then stirred in water 
enough to make it like a gruel. It was a fav- 
orite and nutritious drink. 

44 



Corn Breads and Mufl&ns 

CORN BREAD 

Two cups Indian, one cup wheat, 
One cup sour milk, one cup sweet, 
One good egg that well you beat. 
Half cup molasses, too; 
Half cup sugar add thereto, 
With one spoon of butter new. 
Salt and soda each a teaspoon; 
Mix up quick and bake it soon. 
Then you'll have corn bread complete, 
Best of all corn bread you meet. 
It will make your boy's eyes shine. 
If he's like that boy of mine. 
If you have a dozen boys 
To increase your household joys, 
Double then this rule I should, 
And you'll have two corn cakes good. 
When you've nothing else for tea 
This the very thing will be. 
All the men that I have seen 
Say it is of all cakes queen. 
Good enough for any king. 
That a husband home can bring. 
Warming up the human stove, 
45 



46 American Indian Corn 

Cheering up the hearts you love; 

And only Tyndall can explain 

The links between corn bread and brain. 

Get a husband what he likes 

And save a hundred household strikes. 

Old Rhymes. 



Government War Bread 1917 

®ne fourth whole wheat flotir, one fourth 
rye flour, one fourth white flour, one fourth 
corn meal, a tablespoon of salt, a yeast cake 
dissolved in cold water, and enough tepid 
water to make a meditmi dough, not too soft. 
Knead thoroughly, let rise until light, put in 
greased pans, and let rise to fill the pans 
three quarters full, then bake in a steady 
oven from forty minutes to an hour. Try 
with a broom splint. 

A second formula calls for one third wheat 
flour, one third whole wheat flour, and one 
third com meal and rye flour mixed. Salt, 
yeast, and water as for first formula. 

CORN LOAF BREAD 

Hdd to one quart of flour two teaspoons of 
baking powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a quart 
of com meal. Mix thoroughly, then add the 
yolks of two eggs beaten light, two table- 
spoons of molasses mixed in a quart of sweet 

47 



48 American Indian Corn 

milk, and last of all fold in the beaten egg 
whites. Pour into a buttered bread pan and 
bake thirty to forty minutes in an even oven. 

QUICK CORN BREAD 

flDix two heaping cups of corn meal with 
one cup of flour, one teaspoon of baking 
powder, one tablespoon of sugar, and one 
teaspoon of salt. Beat three egg yolks and 
add to two and a half cups of milk, mix well, 
and add a tablespoon of melted butter and the 
beaten egg whites. Bake in buttered mold 
and serve hot. 

NEW ORLEANS RECIPE 

Sift together one and a half pints of corn 
meal, a half pint of flour, a tablespoon of 
sugar, a teaspoon of salt, and two heaping 
tablespoons of baking powder. Add two beat- 
en eggs, one and a quarter pints of milk, and 
a tablespoon of melted lard. Mix to a meditim 
batter, pour into a square shallow pan, and 
bake for thirty minutes in a brisk oven. 

SOUR MILK CORN BREAD 

fIDix two teaspoons of salt with two cups of 
corn meal. Dissolve a teaspoon of bi-car- 



American Indian Corn 49 

bonate of soda m a quart of sotir milk, add 
two beaten eggs and a tablespoon of melted 
lard, beat all together, and add enough corn 
meal to make a soft dough. Beat very 
thoroughly and turn into a buttered baking 
pan. Bake thirty minutes. 

RICE CORN BREAD 

fIDix two cups of com meal and one cup of 
freshly boiled rice. Add two level teaspoons 
of salt and one of sugar. Dissolve one 
teaspoon of bi-carbonate of soda in a quart of 
sour milk, pour in enough of the milk to make 
a stiff batter, add two beaten eggs, then the 
rest of the milk. Beat thoroughly and then 
add a tablespoon of melted butter. Bake in 
a shallow buttered pan as soon as it is mixed ; 
do not let it stand. 

SCALDED MEAL BREAD 

Hdd to one pint of boiling water a teaspoon 
of salt and a heaping tablespoon of butter, 
lard, good beef drippings, or chicken fat. A 
reputable butter substitute also may be used. 
Pour the boiling mixture into one pint of corn 
meal to scald it, then set it aside to cool. 
Beat two eggs and add them to a pint of sweet 
milk ; stir into the cool batter and turn into a 



50 American Indian Corn 

shallow well greased pan. Bake in a hot 
oven thirty-five minutes. It is a good idea to 
warm the pan before turning in the mixture, 
especially in cold weather. 

INDIAN ASH CAKE 

flDake a soft dough of one quart of scalded 
corn meal, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon 
of melted fat, and cold water. Mold the 
dough into oblong cakes and lay, wrapped in 
cabbage or grape leaves, on hot ashes, or imder 
a gas flame. When done strip off the leaves 
and eat the cake hot with fresh butter. 

SOUTHERN HOECAKE 

Bn early days this bread, made the same 
as ash cake, was baked on a clean, hot, hoe 
blade, or on a damp shingle before a hot open 
fire. 

STEAMED CORN BREAD 

flDix three cups of corn meal with three cups 
of wheat flour, a teaspoon of salt, and two 
teaspoons of baking powder. Pour in a 
quart of sweet milk and a cup of warm mo- 
lasses. Mix well and pour into a buttered 
mold, then steam for four hours. The mold 
should be only three quarters full, to allow 
for swelling, and covered tightly. 



American Indian Corn 51 

INDIAN JOURNEY CAKE 

ZChe natives made this cake of an equal 
quantity of wild rice and pounded corn meal, 
flavored with salt, and mixed with water. It 
was shaped into oblong balls and baked in 
the hot embers. It was carried on journeys, or 
in war times, hence the name, and was 
considered very nourishing. It was the fore- 
runner of the now familiar ''Johnny'* cake. 

y NEW ENGLAND JOHNNY CAKE 

^ift together one pint of corn meal, one 
pint of wheat flour, two teaspoons of baking 
powder, a half teaspoon of salt, and a half cup 
of sugar. Work in a tablespoon of lard, add 
three beaten eggs, and a pint and a quarter 
of milk. Pour into shallow buttered pans 
and bake forty-five minutes. 

INDIAN NOCAKE 

3for this delicacy the natives used parched 
corn, pounded to meal, with salt, a little 
maple sugar melted, and enough water to make 
a dough. The cakes were shaped and then 
baked like ash cakes. Made by the Dakota 
Indians. 



52 American Indian Corn 

MASSACHUSETTS INDIAN CAKE 

fIDix three cups of corn meal, one cup of 
flour, and a teaspoon of salt. Dissolve one 
teaspoon of soda in a cup of sour milk, add 
this with a cup of tepid molasses and mix 
thoroughly. Turn into a moderately heated 
Dutch oven (the old-fashioned way) or into 
a shallow buttered pan to bake. 

PIKI BREAD 

C^he Hopi Indians are expert in the making 
of parchment bread. A batter of corn meal 
and water is made and seasoned with salt. 
It is thrown by a dexterous motion of the hand 
onto a superheated stone and cooked quickly, 
without turning, like a thin pancake, and is 
then rolled like parchment, or packed like figs, 
one piece overlapping the other. The bread 
keeps for years; made of black, red, yellow, 
or white corn it keeps the color, the white 
often being dyed green or a deep orange with 
vegetable dyes. 

SPONGE CORN CAKE 

Bring one quart of milk to boiling point 
and pour it on one pint of com meal ; add a 
lump of butter and a heaping teaspoon of 



American Indian Corn 53 

salt. Set the mixt tire away overnight ; in the 
morning beat Hght, add two beaten eggs, and 
pour the nuxture into buttered earthen plates. 
Bake thirty minutes. 

RAISIN CORN BREAD 

flDix twelve ounces of seeded and coarsely 
chopped raisins with three cups of corn meal, 
one and a half cups of rye flour, one and a 
half cups of white flour, a teaspoon of salt, and 
three heaping teaspoons of baking powder. 
Mix and add a cup of molasses and enough 
milk to make the dough soft. Pour into a well- 
buttered mold, cover, and steam steadily for 
full three hours. Do not fill the mold full 
but leave room for swelling. Serve hot. 

CORN PONE 

2)issolve two teaspoons of salt in a quart 
of water, stir into it enough corn meal to make 
a stiff dough. Mold the dough into cakes the 
size and shape of fish cakes. Lay the cakes in 
a Dutch oven, or buttered baking pan, and 
bake thirty minutes. Separate the cakes so 
they do not touch one another so they may 
brown on all sides. 

Worcester derives the name pone from 



54 American Indian Corn 

paiime, which he states is an Indian word; 
Webster's spelling is "pone" from the Latin 
" ponnes " referring to its roundish shape, but it 
is more probable that its derivation is from 
the method of making it between the palms 
of the hands, hence ''palm bread," "patim 
bread," "pone bread," paimi being a well 
known corruption of palm. 

VIRGINIA CORN BREAD 

Cream together two tablespoons of p but- 
ter and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix one 
cup of flour, a heaping cup of corn meal, a 
half teaspoon of salt, and two heaping table- 
spoons of baking powder. Add the beaten 
yolks of two eggs to the butter mixture, then 
add the dry ingredients with a cup of sweet 
milk. Beat all thoroughly, then add the 
beaten egg whites. Pour into a well-buttered, 
lightly floured, baking pan, and bake in a hot 
oven full fifteen minutes. Break in pieces 
and serve hot. Cutting with a knife makes it 
heavy and soggy. 

IRISH CORN BREAD 

flDake a batter of a cup of corn meal and 
water, when it boils add a level teaspoon of 
salt, boil a half hoiir. Cool, and then add a 



American Indian Corn 55 

quarter yeast cake dissolved in water and as 
much flour as there is meal. Let rise, then 
bake in a buttered pan. If desired a little 
sugar may be added. 

BOSTON BROWN BREAD 

Sift one pint of corn meal, a half pint of 
rye flour, a half pint of wheat flour, a teaspoon 
of salt, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and two 
teaspoons of baking powder together. Have 
ready two good-sized potatoes boiled, mashed, 
and thinned a little with water ; when cold add 
to the other ingredients and mix to a batter. 
Pour into a well-buttered mold, cover, and put 
in a kettle of hot water. Let it boil one full 
hour, then remove the cover and put in the 
oven. Bake about three quarters of an hour 
if the oven is hot, longer if it is only medium. 
There are several ways of making the bread, 
the old way being to bake it all night with the 
celebrated beans, but this recipe is the simplest 
for home use. 

BANNOCKS 

Scald two cups of corn meal with just 
enough boiling water to moisten it, cover, and 
let stand a half hour. Add four beaten eggs, 
two cups of milk, a teaspoon of salt, two table- 



56 American Indian Corn 

spoons of melted butter, a cup of flour, and a 
teaspoon of baking powder. Bake in greased 
shallow pans in a hot oven. 



SLAPPERS 

Ipotir on slowly enough boiling water to 
make a thin batter of two cups of com meal, 
a half teaspoon of salt, and two tablespoons of 
butter. Cover and let stand overnight. In 
the morning add three beaten eggs, one cup of 
milk, and a cup of flour in which two teaspoons 
of baking powder have been mixed. Beat well 
and drop by spoonfuls onto a hot greased grid- 
dle. Brown on both sides like a thick pancake. 
These are Southern favorites. 

CORN MUSH BREAD 

flDix with one quart of hot corn-meal mush, 
one quart of wheat flour and one quart of 
graham flour. When cool add one quart of 
raised bread sponge, a half cup of molasses, a 
teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of baking 
powder. Mix well and add a little flour in 
kneading the dough, shape into brick-shaped 
loaves, let rise in the pans, and bake from an 
hour to an hour and a half. 



American Indian Corn 57 

CUSTARD CORN BREAD 

3Beat a quarter cup of sugar with two eggs. 
Sift a quarter cup of flour, a teaspoon of salt, 
and a teaspoon of soda into one and a third cups 
of com meal. Mix all together. Melt two 
heaping tablespoons of butter in a deep baking 
pan, using plenty around the sides. Pour 
in the batter, then add without stirring a cup 
of cream; bake twenty to thirty minutes. 
When cooked there will be a layer of custard 
on top or through the center of the cake. 

VIRGINIA SPOON BREAD 

!85eat the yolks of six eggs with a tablespoon 
of sugar, a teaspoon of salt, a half cup of boiled 
cracked wheat, a cup of sifted com meal, two 
teaspoons of baking powder, three cups of 
sweet milk and one of buttermilk. Beat the 
egg whites stiff and fold in last. Melt three 
tablespoons of butter in a baking dish and 
pour in the batter. Bake in a moderate oven. 
This is a very delicate bread and is served with 
a spoon from the pan it is cooked in, not cut 
with a knife. 

HEALTH BREAD 

Soak one pint of corn meal in a pint of sour 



58 American Indian Corn 

milk for two hours; if it takes up all the milk 
add a little more. Stir in, when ready to bake, 
a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of vege- 
table or olive oil, and a level teaspoon of bi- 
carbonate of soda dissolved in a little hot 
water. Beat well and sift in enough whole 
wheat flotir to thicken slightly. Pour in 
shallow buttered pan and bake forty minutes 
in a brisk oven. 

PRIZE HEALTH BREAD 

fIDix two level cups of health bran, one cup 
of corn meal, one cup of cream of wheat, and 
one cup of flour, sifted, with two level tea- 
spoons of baking powder, and a half teaspoon 
of salt. Mix one cup of New Orleans molasses 
with three cups of rich milk ; beat all into a 
smooth batter, and cook in a well-greased 
mold, steaming, well covered, for eight hours. 
The weight of the loaf when done is three and 
a half pounds. 

CORN-MEAL SCONES 

Sift together one quart of fine com meal, 
two teaspoons of baking powder, a half tea- 
spoon of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. Rub 
in a heaping tablespoon of flotir, two beaten 
eggs, almost a full pint of milk, and enough 



American Indian Corn 59 

flour to make a kneading dough. Put on a 
floured board, knead lightly, roll out with a 
pin an eighth of an inch thick, and after cutting 
into three-inch squares fold over three cornered 
and bake on a hot greased griddle, browning on 
both sides. If the scones are not careftilly 
cooked they are uninviting and raw tasting; to 
avoid this many cooks scald the meal with the 
milk heated to boiling point and after it has 
cooled off add the rest of the ingredients. 

APPLE JOHNNY CAKE 

fDix two cups of yellow com meal with half 
a cup of sugar, a saltspoon of salt, and a 
teaspoon of cream of tartar. Dissolve a half 
teaspoon of bi-carbonate of soda in a cup and 
a half of milk, stir in three tart apples pared, 
cored, and chopped fine. Beat well and bake 
in a well-buttered shallow pan for thirty-five 
minutes. 

CAMP CORN BREAD 

fIDix two cups of corn meal, two cups of 
flour, a teaspoon of salt, two heaping teaspoons 
of baking powder, a teaspoon of sugar, two 
tablespoons of shortening, two tablespoons of 
egg powder, a half cup of condensed or evapo- 
rated milk, and one and a half cups of water. 



6o American Indian Corn 

Beat well, pour in a well -greased pan, and bake 
for forty-five minutes. When serving break 
the bread or cut with a hot sharp knife. 

CORN SOUP STICKS 

SBeat together one cup of com meal, three 
quarters of a cup of flour, three teaspoons of 
baking powder, and a half teaspoon of salt. 
Mix with a half cup of hot, boiled, fine hominy, 
a quarter cup of soft butter, one cup of milk, 
and one egg. Beat all with the dry ingredi- 
ents and bake in buttered bread stick pans 
twenty minutes. 

RICE CORN BREAD 

Jpour one cup of freshly boiled rice over two 
cups of sifted white corn meal, add a table- 
spoon of soft butter, three beaten eggs, a tea- 
spoon of salt, and milk enough to make a 
stiff batter. Beat well and turn into shallow 
buttered pans to bake in a qtiick oven. 

CRACKLING BREAD 

pour enough boiling water over a quart of 
yellow com meal to moisten it, add two tea- 
spoons of salt, and set aside to cool. When 



American Indian Corn 6i 

cool enough to handle, mix in a pint of crack- 
lings (crumbs left after trying out leaf lard), 
and shape into oblong cakes. Bake in lightly 
buttered pans for twenty-five minutes. This 
makes a rich breakfast or limcheon cake on a 
cold day. 

COLONIAL RYE AND INDLA.N BREAD 

Scald two quarts of corn meal with just 
enough boiling water to moisten it, but not 
make a batter. Cover and let it stand and 
cool. Add two teaspoons of salt, one teaspoon 
of soda, an yeast cake dissolved in a little cold 
water, and a half cup of molasses. Pour in 
alternately a quart of rye flour and warm 
water to make a dough heavy to stir with a 
spoon. Let rise overnight, put in deep bread 
pan in the morning, let stand thirty minutes, 
then bake four hours in a medium oven. 

STEAMED BOSTON BROWN BREAD 

fIDix two cups of corn meal, one cup of rye 
meal, one cup of wheat flour, a saltspoon of 
salt, and two heaping teaspoons of baking 
powder. Add a cup and a half of warm 
molasses, a teaspoon of soda dissolved in a 
little water, and a quart of sweet milk. Beat 



62 ''American Indian Corn 

all thoroughly, pour into a greased mold, and 
steam in boiling water, well covered, for fotir 
hours. 

SWEET BROWN BREAD 

fiDix one quart of rye flour, two quarts of 
com meal, one pint of Graham flotir, and a 
teaspoon of salt together. Add a half pint of 
potato yeast, a half cup of molasses, and a 
half cup of seeded raisins. Mix with warm 
water to as stiff a dough as can be handled with 
a spoon. Let rise six hours, and bake in but- 
tered bread tins five hours, or six, if oven is 
slow. 

CORN-MEAL GINGER BREAD 

3i6eat to a cream one cup of butter, one cup 
of brown sugar, one tablespoon of ground 
ginger, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and the 
grated rind of an orange. Mix two cups each 
of com meal and flour, add half the flour, and 
three beaten eggs. Stir in gradually three gills 
of molasses and a quarter cup of milk. Then 
add three more beaten eggs and the rest of the 
flour, beat thoroughly, and add a teaspoon of 
soda dissolved in hot water. Pour into but- 
tered pans and bake in a moderate oven for 
an hour. 



American Indian Corn 63 

INDIAN MEAL DOUGHNUTS 

)otir three quarters of a cup of boiling milk 
over one and a half cups of fine corn meal, stir, 
and allow it to cool. Add a half cup of soft 
butter, three quarters of a cup of sugar, a 
teaspoon of cinnamon, a half of a grated nut- 
meg, two beaten eggs, and a cup of flour in 
which there are two teaspoons of baking 
powder. Work the dough smooth, roll on 
the board three quarters of an inch thick, and 
fry in hot lard. Dust with powdered sugar. 

APPLE CORN BREAD 

flDix together two cups of white corn meal, 
two tablespoons of sugar, a half teaspoon of 
salt, a teaspoon of cream of tartar, and a 
teaspoon of bi-carbonate of soda. Add one 
and a half cups of milk ; beat well and pour into 
a shallow buttered pan. Have ready three 
tart apples, pared and sliced thin; arrange 
them as for baker's apple cake; dust with two 
tablespoons of sugar blended with a teaspoon 
of cinnamon. Bake for thirty-five minutes. 

NEW ENGLAND PUMPKIN CORN BREAD 

fHMx two and a half quarts of corn flour 
with one and a half quarts of wheat flour, two 



64 American Indian Corn 

teaspoons of salt, two tablespoons of sugar, a 
tablespoon of soft butter, a pint of stewed and 
mashed pumpkin, an yeast cake dissolved in 
cold water, and enough lukewarm water 
added slowly to make a kneading dough. 
Turn onto the board, knead well, and set to 
rise. When light, mold into loaves and put 
into greased pans, and when dough has risen 
until they are three quarters full, bake in a 
moderate oven. In the South this same 
recipe is used with mashed sweet potato in- 
stead of the pumpkin. 

CORN AND GLUTEN BREAD 

flDix three quarters of a cup of gluten flour, 
three teaspoons of salt, one tablespoon of 
sugar, two tablespoons of soft butter, and half 
an yeast cake dissolved in a quarter cup of luke- 
warm water. Have ready two and a half cups 
of corn meal that has been warmed then 
scalded in one and a half cups of boiling 
water and cooled. Mix all together thor- 
oughly and ttu'n, after kneading, into a greased 
bread pan; when risen until the pan is fully 
three quarters filled, bake in a steady oven. 

ZUNI AND WESTERN APACHE BREAD 

flDix one cup of white meal with one cup of 



American Indian Corn 65 

yellow meal, one teaspoon of salt and a salt 
spoon (level) of red pepper, one cup of chopped 
butter, or half cup of bacon grease, and one 
cup of water. Mold into small rolls like 
sausages ; roll them in greased paper, and bake 
one hour. The Indians roll them in com 
husks and they are nicer done in that way. 

SAVORY CORN BISCUIT 

n^um one cup of yellow com meal onto a 
shallow pan and brown carefully in the oven, 
stirring and watching carefully that it does not 
burn. Take three quarters of a cup of peanut 
butter and add to it three quarters of a cup of 
boiling water, stir smooth, add two tea- 
spoons of salt and a half cup of hot cream. 
Turn into the meal, mix, half fill buttered 
muffin pans, and bake. Or drop from the 
spoon onto a shallow greased pan and make 
into small cakes. 

CORN-MEAL ENVELOPE ROLLS" 

Sift together one and a half cups of wheat 
flour and three quarters of a cup of corn meal. 
Add a teaspoon of salt, three teaspoons of 
baking powder, and rub in two tablespoons of 
butter. Add a half cup of milk and as much 
more as seems necessary to make a soft dough. 



66 American Indian Com 

Roll out on a floured board, cut with a round 
cutter, and fold envelope fashion; bake in a 
quick oven in a greased shallow pan. 

.BEATEN CORN BREAD 

TKHork one heaping tablespoon of butter into 
a cup of corn meal, a cup of flour, two tea- 
spoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of salt. Add 
enough water to moisten but not to wet it 
enough to make it crtimble. Spread on a 
floured board and beat with a masher for 
twenty minutes, folding it over often. Roll 
out a half -inch thick, cut in rounds, prick with 
a fork and bake in greased shallow pan. 

ST. CHARLES CORN MUFFINS 

pour one cup of boiling water over two cups 
of white corn meal and stir so all is scalded. 
Cool slightly, then add a heaping tablespoon 
of butter, a saltspoon of salt, two beaten eggs, 
a cup of sweet milk, and a teaspoon of baking 
powder. Pour into hot, greased, iron gem 
pans, and bake twenty minutes. This is a 
thin batter muffin. 

RING MUFFINS 

®ne cup of corn flour, a half cup of wheat 
flour into which sift a teaspoon of salt and 



American Indiein Corn 67 

the same amount of baking powder, and one 
tablespoon of sugar. Beat in the yolks of 
two eggs, a cup and a half of milk, and a 
heaping teaspoon of lard. Mix smoothly and 
add the beaten whites of the eggs. Cook in 
buttered muffin rings on a hot greased griddle ; 
ttirn with a slice to brown both sides. 

CORN-MEAL CRUMPETS 

Scald one quart of corn meal with one 
quart of boiled milk, let stand until it is luke- 
warm. Stir in a tablespoon each of lard and 
butter, two tablespoons of sugar, a saltspoon 
of salt, and an yeast cake dissolved in cold 
water. Beat smooth, poiir in buttered muf- 
fin rings set on buttered pan, and bake fif- 
teen minutes. 

CORN CRISPETS 

pour one cup of boiling water over seven 
eighths of a cup of corn meal, two and a half 
tablespoons of butter, and a half teaspoon of 
salt. Mix and spread on a buttered pan an 
eighth of an inch thick; bake and cut into 
three-inch squares. Serve at once. 

CREOLE CAKES 

IP our one pint of scalding milk over as much 



68 American Indian Corn 

corn meal as it will wet, let it cool, then add 
two beaten eggs, a saltspoon of salt, a teaspoon 
of saleratus, and a pint of milk. Bake in 
small pans. 

"POOR MAN'S" CORN GEMS 

Stir one pint each of corn meal and flonr, 
one teaspoon of salt, and two teaspoons of 
baking powder into a third of a pint each of 
milk and water. Mix to a smooth, firm batter 
and turn into greased cold gem pans. Bake 
fifteen minutes in a brisk oven. 

ROYAL CORN MUFFINS 

Sift together one pint each of corn meal and 
flonr, a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of salt, 
and three teaspoons of baking powder. Beat 
in two eggs and a pint of milk, mix smooth, 
and pour into cold buttered muffin pans, filling 
them three quarters full . Bake fifteen minutes 
in a hot oven. A half cup of chopped ber- 
ries may be added, in season, to these muffins, 
or chopped dates, raisins, or stewed prunes, in 
winter, added are very appetizing. 



Waffles, Pancakes, Fritters, and 
Dumplings 

CORN AND WHEAT WAFFLES 

fIDix two and a half cups of wheat flotir, a 
half cup of sifted com meal, a teaspoon of 
baking powder, and a teaspoon of salt together. 
Make a well in the center and pour in a heaping 
tablespoon of melted butter, two eggs beaten 
very light, and two cups of rich milk, stirring 
steadily as the liquid is poured in. Beat to a 
smooth batter. Heat and grease the waffle 
irons and fill them three quarters full of the 
batter. Cook over a clear brisk fire. Serve 
with fresh butter and powdered sugar. 

IOWA WAFFLES 

iPour one and a half pints of boiling watea: 
into a pint of corn meal and cook like mush 
for a half hour, adding a heaping tablespoon 
of butter and a teaspoon of salt. When done, 

69 



70 American Indian Com 

set aside to cool. Beat four eggs, whites and 
yolks separately; beat into the mush a tea- 
spoon of baking powder, then the egg yolks. 
Add slowly two thirds of a pint of milk, sifting 
in, slowly, a pint of flour. Last of all add the 
whipped egg whites and cook in the hot greased 
wafHe irons at once. 

CORN MEAL AND RICE WAFFLES 

flDix together a half cup of com meal, a half 
cup of flour, a cup of cold boiled rice, a tea- 
spoon of salt, half a teaspoon of baking 
powder, a tablespoon of melted butter, two 
beaten eggs, and a pint of milk. Beat well 
and bake in well-greased hot waffle irons. 

GRIDDLE CAKES WITHOUT EGGS 

®ne pint of corn meal, four tablespoons of 
flour, one level teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon 
of soft butter. Beat well, and cook the cakes 
on a hot greased griddle. 

CORN-MEAL FRITTERS 

!fSeat with two cups of corn meal a table- 
spoon of soft butter, a tablespoon of sugar, and 
a teaspoon of salt. Add the beaten yolks of 



American Indian Com 71 

four eggs, three cups of milk, and a half cup of 
flour with a half teaspoon of baking powder. 
Mix thoroughly, then fold in the stiffly beaten 
egg whites. Drop by the spoonful into hot 
fat and fry a golden brown; drain on coarse 
brown, or blotting paper. Serve in a napkin 
dusted with powdered sugar. Crushed fresh 
fruit juice, maple syrup and chopped nut sauce, 
vanilla syrup sauce, or hard sauce, may be 
served with the fritters. A half cup of chopped 
fresh berries, a shredded pineapple, or a 
grated apple added to the batter is always 
good. 



INDIAN DUMPLINGS 

tThe dumplings were used by the Indians in 
a venison stew. Take a pint of com meal and 
pour over it a half pint of boiling water, or a 
little bit more if it swells too dry. While hot, 
mold into dimiplings, dipping the hands in 
cold water every minute to keep from burn- 
ing the flesh. Drop the dumplings in the 
boiling stew and cook fifteen minutes closely 
covered. Lift with a skimmer before dishing 
the rest of the stew. The Indians speared 
them from the pot with forked sticks, cut for 
the purpose, in place of forks, 



72 American Indian Com 

RAISED GRIDDLE CAKES 

Scald one cup of white corn meal with 
one pint of boiling water, add two cups of 
flour while warm, one tablespoon of brown 
sugar, two cups of milk, and an yeast cake dis- 
solved in a little cold water. Let rise over- 
night. In the morning add two beaten eggs, 
a teaspoon of salt, the same quantity of baking 
powder, and if too thin add a little more meal 
or flour. Beat well and cook on well-greased 
griddle. 

QUICK CORN GRIDDLE CAKES 

Scald one pint of com meal with one pint 
of water; let stand, and when cool add three 
beaten eggs, a saltspoon of salt, a teaspoon of 
sugar, and five teaspoons of cold milk. Cook 
on hot greased griddle. 

CORN-MEAL FLAPJACKS 

. flDake a sponge of two cups of com meal 
scalded with one quart of boiling milk, adding 
a teaspoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of butter. 
Let stand overnight. In the morning add 
the yolks of two eggs, a scant cup of flour, a 
teaspoon each of salt and baking powder, and 



American Indiein Com 73 

last of all the beaten whites of two eggs. Cook 
on well-greased hot griddle, making the cakes 
larger around than the ordinary pancakes. 

KENTUCKY CORN DODGERS 

/ 

Scald with enough water to leave a mold- 
ing dough, one quart of corn meal, one salt- 
spoon of salt, and one teaspoon of sugar. Let 
stand to swell and get cool enough to handle. 
Stir in a teaspoon of soft butter and mold 
into small oval cakes. Have a hot griddle 
well greased and cook the little cakes, browning 
them on both sides. As the cakes are nearly 
an inch thick they must cook rather slowly to 
get well cooked and done all through. 

POP-CORN BALLS 

pop the com in the usual way, throwing 
out all unpopped kernels or grannies. Put 
into a stew pan a pound of sugar and two 
thirds of a pint of cold water; boil until it 
makes a soft ball when a little is dropped in cold 
water, then take from the fire and add eight 
tablespoons of gum-arabic solution, which 
should be of the consistency of molasses. 
Place the com in a good-sized pan and pour 
the mixture over it, stir with a spoon, imtil 



74 American Indian Com 

well mixed, then with floured hands form into 
balls. Pop-corn is eaten plain, salted, with 
hot butter turned over it, or sprinkled with 
a light sugar syrup. 

CANDIED POP-CORN 

put in a saucepan three tablespoons of 
water, one tablespoon of btitter, and one cup 
of confectioner's sugar. Boil until it begins 
to brittle in cold water, then stir in three 
quarts of popped corn and stir briskly until 
the candy syrup is all over the corn. Take 
from the stove and stir until cool and the 
corns are crystallized and separate. 

CORN PRALINES 

ZThese are made by taking a vanilla syrup, 
just before it brittles in cold water, and stir- 
ring into it freshly popped corn and stirring 
briskly when the syrup begins to grain, then 
throwing the corn into a sifter to shake off the 
loose sugar. 

PARCHED CORN 

ZThis is made of corn that is browned in a 
pan on top of the stove and salted slightly. 



American Indian Com 75 

Indians considered it very noxirishing and 
carried it on long jotirneys. Children are 
very fond of it, for it tastes like salted nuts. 

SALAD DRESSING 

fIDix a quarter cup of corn oil with a salt- 
spoon of salt, a saltspoon of white pepper, a 
half saltspoon of mignonette pepper, a salt- 
spoon of sugar, and three tablespoons of tar- 
ragon vinegar. Beat until blended thoroughly 
and it is ready for use. For mayonnaise it is 
wise to add a little olive oil to the corn oil 
which is dark in color and rather heavy for a 
fine dressing. The oil, imtil recently, was used 
only as a cheapening agent for other oils. 

Glucose, another com product, comes in 
convenient form for household use and many 
cooks use it to help sweeten in place of sugar, 
especially in ice cream and in preserve making. 



Green Corn Cookery 

GREEN CORN SOUP 

Cut with a sharp knife corn kernels from 
fresh ears to make one pint, throw the cobs 
into enough cold water to cover them, and 
cook thirty minutes. Strain and add to water 
which should be boiling, the com pulp, and 
cook fifteen minutes, then add one pint of 
milk, a teaspoon of salt, a saltspoon of pepper, 
a teaspoon of sugar, and thicken with a 
tablespoon of butter rubbed to a cream with a 
heaping teaspoon of flour. Boil up and serve 
at once. Toasted bread squares are usually 
served with the soup. 

CORN PUREE 

(3rate the com from twelve large ears. 
Put the cobs in enough water to cover them, 
with one chopped onion and a blade of mace. 
Cook twenty minutes then strain and set aside. 
Rub together one ounce of butter and two 

76 



American Indian Com 77 

tablespoons of fiotir, add to this one quart of 
chicken broth that has had all fat removed. 
Cook five minutes, then add a teaspoon of salt, 
a saltspoon of pepper, and the com water. 
Boil ten minutes, pass through a puree sieve, 
and serve hot. The puree may also be made 
by using milk or cream instead of the chicken 
broth. 

CORN CHOWDER 

Cut com from enough cobs, say a dozen and 
a half ears, to yield three pints. Boil the cobs 
for twenty minutes, in water enough to cover 
them, then strain. Slice a quarter pound of 
fat, salt pork, and lay on the bottom of the 
chowder kettle; cook gently for five minutes. 
Put in a layer of thinly sliced onion, a layer of 
sliced potatoes, a layer of com, butter, pep- 
per, salt, two teaspoons of sugar, and then in 
layers onions, potatoes, corn, and seasoning. 
Add a pint of the corn water and a pint of rich 
milk. Mix three tablespoons of flour with a 
little cream and tiirn in last. Cook gently, 
after it begins to boil, for thirty minutes, then 
add five broken pilot crackers, that have been 
wet with milk; cook fifteen minutes longer, 
and if the chowder seems too dry as it cooks 
add a little more of the corn water. If liked 



78 American Indian Com 

a cup of stewed tomatoes may be added or two 
layers of sliced fresh ones may be tucked in, 
but the true chowder is better without them. 
The chowder may be made of canned com when 
fresh is out of season. 

SUCCOTASH SOUP 

Cut the corn from a dozen and a half ears 
of com and set aside. Put the cobs into a 
kettle with three potmds of lean veal, a sliced 
onion, and a stalk of celery. Boil imtil the 
meat is tender, then remove it and strain the 
liquor. Put in the com and a pint of shelled 
lima beans. Cook for a half hour, then add 
a quart of rich, hot milk, a little sugar, pepper 
and salt to taste, and thicken slightly with a 
little butter and flour rubbed to a smooth 
paste. For the meat, which must be kept hot, 
make a rich brown sauce and slice the meat 
into it ; serve on a hot platter with a border 
of boiled samp. This makes an economical 
dinner. Potatoes may be added to meat 
gravy if desired. 

CANNED CORN SOUP 

ITake a large can of any good brand of sweet 
com and put into a saucepan with a quart of 



American Indian Com 79 

boiling water, a stalk of celery, and a grated 
onion. Boil for an hour, put through a puree 
sieve, and add a pint of hot rich milk, pepper, 
salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and a lump of butter; 
beat two eggs light and add to a cup of 
cream, and pour in at the last minute; blend 
thoroughly and serve with toasted croutons 
fried in hot fat. 

BOILED CORN 

Select as many ears of ripe tender com as 
are needed; husk it and remove the silk care- 
fully, and plimge it into boiling water to cook 
twenty minutes. Do not add salt for it 
toughens the com. Lift the com and serve 
in a napkin. 

ROAST CORN 

IKHhen not convenient to roast com before 
the camp fire, boil as directed above, then lay 
the ears on the gridiron over a steady fire, 
turning them with a long steel fork as they 
roast, which they do very quickly; brush over 
with butter, sprinkle with salt, and serve at 
once. 

STEWED CORN 

Cut the corn from a dozen ears, add a pint 
of water, a half pint of milk, and put in a 



8o American Indian Com 

double boiler to cook. Cook twenty minutes, 
uncovered, then add a tablespoon of butter 
rolled in flour, salt and pepper to taste, two 
teaspoons of sugar, and, just at serving, a little 
cream. Canned corn may be cooked in the 
same way only it need not cook quite as long. 

SUCCOTASH 

Cut the com from fifteen ears of tender com. 
Cut one medium slice of pickled pork into 
cubes, fry it in a large steel frying pan until 
the cubes are a delicate brown, then put in the 
corn and a pint of milk ; boil gently for twenty 
minutes. Add a teaspoon of salt, a salt- 
spoon of pepper, a tablespoon of sugar, and a 
quart of fresh young lima beans that have 
been boiled m fair water until tender and 
carefully drained. Add a tablespoon of butter 
that has been worked to a paste with two tea- 
spoons of flour. Blend and serve hot. This 
old Indian dish was probably served originally 
without the seasoning or thickening that is 
used by modern cooks. 

GREEN CORN PUDDING 

^ JIhis dish is for the meat course or for a 
luncheon dish. Grate the com from twelve 
ears, add four beaten eggs, two tablespoons 



AmericsLn IndiEin Com 8i 

of melted butter, one tablespoon of sugar, a 
saltspoon of salt and pepper each, and three 
cups of sweet milk. Blend well and turn into 
a buttered pudding dish, sprinkle a few very 
fine bread crumbs, with a little grated cheese, 
over the top, and bake for about an hour de- 
pending on the heat of the oven. 

CORN OYSTERS 

fH5ix one pint of grated com with a table- 
spoon of melted butter, three tablespoons of 
milk, three beaten eggs, a teaspoon of salt, a 
saltspoon of pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar. 
Mix well and blend in three tablespoons of 
flour, drop by spoonfuls in a frying pan with 
hot lard two inches deep. Hold the spoon 
close to the fat when dropping the batter to 
make the oyster a better shape. Drain them 
and serve garnished with parsley and lemon 
quarters. 

CORN FRITTERS 

(5rate the com from twelve ears. Make a 
batter of a half cup of flotir, sifted, with a tea- 
spoon of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt, a 
tablespoon of butter, and fotir beaten eggs. 
Add the com, blend carefully, and drop by 
spoonfuls into hot fat. Drain the fritters, 
dust with powdered sugar, and serve in a 



82 American Indisoi Com 

napkin. If for a vegetable omit the sugar 
and dust with pepper and salt. 

CORN BAKED WITH TOMATOES 

Cut from the cob with a sharp knife, first 
slitting the kernels lengthways, then scraping 
them down with the back of the knife to press 
out the pulp. Use enough corn to make one 
quart of ptJp. Add fotir sliced tomatoes. 
Butter a deep baking dish and put in a layer 
of corn, then a layer of tomato, a tablespoon 
of bread crtimbs; dust with pepper and salt, 
a teaspoon of sugar, and dot with butter. Pro- 
ceed in this way until the materials are used ; 
turn over the juice of an onion and a small cup 
of cream. Bake in a medium oven for thirty- 
five minutes. 

CORN OMELETTE 

flDake a good omelette batter the usual way, 
using four eggs. Cut the com from three ears 
that have been boiled fresh, or left over. Add 
com to the batter and cook the omelette in the 
usual way in a hot buttered omelette pan. 

/ CORN WAFFLES 

(Brate com enough to make one pint ; add 
to it the beaten yolks of six eggs, one cup of 



American Indian Com 83 

cream, one cup of sifted flour, and a teaspoon 
of salt. Beat the whites of the eggs stiff and 
fold them in. Cook in hot well-greased waffle 
irons and serve at once. 

ONIA TEI DA 

tlhis was an old Indian dish and is interest- 
ing, for it was the forenmner of the Mexican 
hot tomales. It was made by the Zuiii and 
Western Apache tribes. Scrape the corn 
kernels from a dozen ears of fresh tender com, 
put it in a mortar and pound it to a milky 
paste; add pepper and salt, the juice of four 
wild onions, and make into small cakes, 
wrapping each in corn husks and tying them. 
Drop into boiling water and cook forty-five 
minutes; drain, remove the wrappings, and 
serve with a little bacon grease poured over 
them and a piece of fried bacon on top of 
each. These cakes can be made to-day just 
as well and be quite as tasty with the corn rtm 
through the chopping machine, and a grated 
cultivated onion used to take the place of the 
wild variety. 

DRIED CORN 

]for drying, cut the corn from the cobs and 
spread on wooden plates ; place before an elec- 
tric fan and dry as quickly as possible. The 



84 American Indieun Com 

old slow method of sun or oven drying was 
often unsuccessful because it was slow and the 
com milk often soured before the drying was 
done, so it was not good. When dry it may be 
stored in paper bags or in tight boxes. When 
ready to use, the corn should be soaked for 
twelve hours or longer before being cooked. 
Cook it in any of the given ways, only cook a 
little longer than the fresh corn. There are 
several home dryers to be had if electricity is 
not available. 

CORN CONSERVED ^ON THE COB 

tChis is an old-fashioned recipe for what was 
known as ''processed" corn. Remove the 
husks and silk from a basket of com. Put 
the corn, and a large stone jar or crock full 
of water, in a tight wooden box. Now, in an 
earthen dish place some sulphur and set it 
afire, close the box tight, and let all smoke for 
eight hours. Open the box, turn the charred 
sulphur over, and light it again, closing the 
box overnight. Take the corn and immerse 
it in the jar of water, light some fresh sulphur, 
and let stand another twelve hours, then cork 
the jar, or cover it tightly. When ready for 
the com soak it twelve hours, turning off the 
water two or three times, then boil it the same 



American Indian Com 85 

as fresh corn. The old-fashioned way of can- 
ning corn is as good to-day as it used to be. 
Cut com from the cobs, add a little salt, and a 
little water if it is too thick, stew until tender, 
and can hot in pint jars. Any of the new 
methods, however, will be successful if the di- 
rections are followed. Government bulletins 
give all methods and will be sent on request. 

Farmer's Bulletin 841 issued by U. S. Dept. 
of Agriculture in 191 7 says: '' Cook young and 
tender com ir^ boiling water for two to five 
minutes to set the milk, then with a sharp 
knife cut the kernels from the cob, spread on 
plates, or trays, thickly, and place to dry. 
The yield is a pound of dried com per dozen 
ears on an average." 

In cutting com for drying, or canning, care 
must be taken to cut down half of the kernel 
with the sharp knife, then with the back of the 
knife scrape down the kernels and milk. This 
removes danger of getting pieces of cob into 
the product. 

STEAMED CORN 

TKHhen corn is steamed the husks are left on 
the ears as it is done in a clam bake. But if 
preferred it may be husked, and after remov- 
ing the silk it may be wrapped in a cheese- 



86 American Indian Corn 

cloth kitchen binder and then put into the 
steamer. 

FRIED CORN 

Cut com enough from the cobs of freshly 
boiled corn to make two and a half cups. Add 
a level teaspoon of salt, a saltspoon of pepper, 
a teaspoon of sugar, and the juice of an onion. 
Heat in a frying pan enough olive oil to thinly 
cover the bottom. Pour in the com, add to it 
the beaten yolk of one egg in a quarter cup of 
cream. Stir briskly, do not cover, and brown 
evenly; serve with steak. 

DEVILED CORN 

XKHork to a cream a half cup of flour and a 
quarter cup of soft fresh butter. When 
smooth turn over it one and a half cups of hot 
milk, and let come to boiling point; add a 
quarter teaspoon of paprika, a level teaspoon 
of mustard, three teaspoons of Worcestershire 
sauce, a quarter cup of bread crumbs, one 
beaten eggj one and a half teaspoons of salt, 
and two cups of corn cut fresh from the cob. 
Pour into a buttered pudding dish ; after well 
mixing, dust the top with powdered crumbs, 
pepper, salt, and a little grated cheese ; dot with 
little lumps of butter and bake. 



American Indian Com 87 

CORN SALADS 

Cut enough boiled com from the cobs to 
make one cup, add it to one cup of boiled rice; 
add a saltspoon of salt, a half saltspoon of 
pepper, juice of an onion, and set aside to cool. 
Add a cup of chopped celery, a half cup of 
tartare sauce, and lay on lettuce leaves 
garnished with pimento olives. 

SALAD HORTENSE 

Cut the com from six cold boiled ears 
and add to it one cup of chopped celery, one 
finely chopped onion, and a green pepper, fold 
in Russian mayonnaise and fill large tomatoes 
well hollowed out with the mixture. Place 
the tomatoes on lettuce leaves and garnish 
with tiny ears of French maize. 

JELLIED, CORN SALAD 

Unto two cups of highly seasoned tomato 
stock put two cups of cold boiled com cut 
from the cobs. Dissolve two tablespoons of 
gelatine powder in a little warm water and 
when melted strain into the corn mixture. 
Pour into individual com molds. Unmold 
on lettuce leaves, mask with mayonnaise, and 



88 American Indian Com 

garnish with olive curls buttered with Anchovy 
paste. 

CORN SANDWICHES 

^ake one cup of corn cut from the freshly- 
boiled cobs, add to it a small can of Pate de 
Foie Gras, mix to a paste, add a dash of 
paprika, a tablespoon of chutney syrup and a 
saltspoon of salt. Lay upon whole wheat 
rounds lightly buttered with fresh butter. 

CORN AND CLAM FRITTERS 

Steam open a dozen medium-sized soft 
clams, take from the shell, and chop coarsely. 
Cut enough young and tender com from the 
cob to make one cupful. Mix a good fritter 
batter using one cup of flour, a level teaspoon 
of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a saltspoon 
of sugar, two beaten eggs, a half cup of milk, 
and a half cup of the clam juice. Beat well, 
adding the corn and clams. Fry in deep hot 
fat, drain, and serve with tartare sauce. 

GREEN CORN PIE 

Cut the com from three freshly, boiled ears, 
add one cup of milk, one half cup of sifted 
flour, one teaspoon of soft butter, a tablespoon 



American Indian Com 89 

of sugar, a half teaspoon of salt, a dash of 
pepper, and two eggs, the whites and the 
yolks beaten separately. Mix thoroughly and 
turn into a pie plate lined with tender pastry ; 
put on top crust and bake. 

KENTUCKY GREEN ^CORN PUDDING 

®ne pint of com cut from the cob, a salt- 
spoon of salt, a tablespoon of butter, yolks 
of three eggs beaten with half a pint of milk. 
Mix thoroughly and bake in well-buttered 
pan until set in the middle. 

CORN EN CASSEROLE 

parboil, blanch and dice a large pair of 
sweetbreads, dip them in melted butter, then 
in fine crumbs, pepper, salt and grated cheese 
mixed, lay them in a casserole with alternate 
layers of green corn cut from the cob carefully 
scraped so as to get all of the milk with it. 
Dot with Itimps of butter, add the juice of an 
onion, a half cup of honey, and a small cup 
of cream in which one egg has been beaten. 
Sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour, cover and 
cook for an hour and a half in an even oven. 

GREEN CORN CUSTARD 

(Brate corn from six large ears. Add to it 



90 American Indian Com 

a cup of heavy cream, a saltspoon of pepper, a 
half teaspoon of salt, two teaspoons of sugar, 
a tablespoon of honey, a tablespoon of melted 
butter, and three well-beaten eggs. Pour in 
a buttered mold, cover, set In a pan of water, 
and bake one hour or until set like a custard. 
Serve with a hard or whipped cream sauce. 
The custard may be chilled before serving if 
desired. 

CORN SOUFFLE 

Cut enough young and tender corn from 
the cobs to make one cup. Beat in three 
fresh eggs, a saltspoon of pepper, a half tea- 
spoon of salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. Pour in 
buttered souffle dishes and bake for ten min- 
utes in a good brisk oven. Serve immediately. 

CORN CHILO 

put through a chopper a pound of beef 
(round steak having a little fat will do), one 
onion, and a pepper with seed cone removed. 
Fry for a few minutes in a little tomato paste 
and olive oil, then add two tablespoons of 
chopped ripe olives, a tablespoon of chopped 
seeded raisins, and seasoning. Spread in 
a buttered pudding mold ; slice over it two 
cold boiled eggs, a few slices of cold boiled 



American Indian Com 91 

chicken, four sliced trufHes, and a tablespoon 
of minced chives. Grate the com from six 
large ears, fry it in hot fat, stirring steadily 
until it is a delicate brown. Add a level table- 
spoon of sugar, beaten with the yolks of three 
eggs, the beaten whites of the eggs and a little 
cream to the com, then spread it over the 
pudding -dish mixture; bake a half hour, dust 
with powdered sugar. Bake long enough to 
brown lightly. 



Desserts 

BAKED INDIAN PUDDING 

Bring one quart of milk to boiling point; 
add a cup of corn meal that has been wet up 
with a little bit of water; boil, tightly covered, 
for an hour; cool a little, then add a small cup 
of butter, a cup of molasses, a saltspoon of salt, 
grated juice and rind of a lemon, and last of 
all six well-beaten eggs. Pour into a buttered 
pudding dish and bake for thirty-five minutes. 
Two of the egg whites may be kept out and 
beaten with four teaspoons of powdered sugar 
to a stiff froth and spread as a meringue on top 
when the pudding is baked. Put in the oven 
one minute or so to brown the meringue. 
Whipped cream, or crushed fresh fruit, may 
be served with the pudding. 

INDIAN SUET PUDDING 

Ibeat to boiling a pint and a half of milk, 

and sift into it two small cups of com meal; 

stir briskly tmtil it thickens ; then cool with a 

92 



American Indian Com 93 

pint and a half of milk, and add three beaten 
eggs, a quarter of a pound of beef suet chopped 
fine, four tablespoons of sugar, a cup of mo- 
lasses, a saltspoon of salt, and a pound of large 
seeded raisins. Mix thoroughly and turn into 
a deep, lightly buttered pudding dish and 
bake for two and a half to three hours accord- 
ing to the heat of the oven. 

BOILED CORN-MEAL PUDDING 

JiSoil two tablespoons of sugar in two cups 
of boiling water, two minutes; then sift in two 
cups of white corn meal and boil like mush 
for five minutes. Add one cup of suet chopped 
very fine, one even teaspoon of salt, and one 
teaspoon of groimd ginger; beat well and pour 
into a floured pudding bag and boil five 
hours. Dish and serve with hard sauce 
made of a cup of sugar and a half cup of 
butter creamed together, two egg whites 
stiffly beaten, a dash of grated nutmeg, a 
tablespoon of brandy, or a teaspoon of vanilla 
flavoring. 

FRUIT PUDDING 

fIDake the same as for the plain boiled pud- 
ding, only add a pint of well-washed blueberries, 



94 American Indian Corn 

strawberries, blackberries, or stoned cherries. 
Peaches are also good, as are big blue pltitns, 
stoned. For the frmt puddings use the Rocky 
Mountain sauce. This is made of a cup of 
sugar and three quarters of a cup of butter 
creamed together ; add a beaten eggy a grating 
of nutmeg, a half gill of brandy or sherry. 
Set the bowl over the tea-kettle and stir until 
all the ingredients are incorporated in a smooth 
sauce. A plate should be put in the bottom of 
the kettle for the boiled pudding to rest on. 
If the hot pudding is taken from the boiling 
water and put under cold water for just a 
minute it will turn out of the bag without 
breaking. The water should be boiling when 
the pudding goes in and kept boiling every 
minute it is cooking. 

NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER 
PUDDING 

flDix in one quart of milk three cups of com 
meal and a teaspoon of salt. Beat well and 
pour in a floured pudding bag, tying loosely to 
leave room for swelling. Boil with the meat 
for four hours; the vegetables are added the 
last half hour, and when done the pudding is 
colored red. Serve witn maple syrup with 
chopped walnuts in it. 



American Indisin Com 95 

CANADA CREAM 

Ibeat one quart of light cream hot, add three 
tablespoons of cornstarch blended with a little 
cool cream, sugar to taste, and allow the mix- 
ture to boil five minutes, stirring constantly. 
Add three stiffly beaten egg whites, boil up 
once, and take from the stove. When slightly 
cool drop the cream by spoonfuls on top of 
chopped and sweetened fresh fruit and chill 
before serving. The cream may be served 
plain also, then a tea^oonof vanilla or almond 
flavoring should be added before chilling. " 

POP-CORN PUDDING 

ZThis is a very old pudding originated by 
our pilgrim ancestors. Dissolve one and a half 
ounces of gelatine in two cups of hot water; 
add a cup of sugar, two cups of milk, a heaping 
cup of chopped pop-corn, and a pinch of salt. 
Cook for ^ve minutes, then add the strained 
juice of three oranges, beaten whites of three 
^gg^y ^ gill of cream, and a tablespoon of ginger 
syrup. Set aside to cool, in a wet mold. 
Serve whipped cream with the pudding. 

BLANC MANGE 

thicken a quart of sweet rich milk with 



96 American Indian Com 

four tablespoons of cornstarch rubbed smooth 
with a little of the milk. Add a saltspoon 
of salt and a half cup of sugar. Heat to boil- 
ing point ; stir briskly as it thickens, care being 
taken not to scorch the mixture. Take from 
the fire, add a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring, 
and turn into a mold. Chill, and serve with 
whipped cream, or a melted jelly sauce. 
Crushed and sweetened fresh fruit in season 
is good to use with the pudding. 

CORNSTARCH CAKE 

iBeat to a cream two cups of sugar and a half 
cup of butter; sift together two cups of pastry 
flour, one small cup of cornstarch, and two 
teaspoons of baking powder. Mix all with the 
butter and sugar, blending with a cup of sweet 
milk; last of all fold in the beaten whites of 
six eggs, and a teaspoon of lemon flavoring. 
Bake in a lightly buttered chimney pan and 
frost with lemon frosting. It may be used 
also as layer cake with a delicate filling. 

CORNSTARCH CUSTARD, FROZEN 

Scald one quart of rich milk. Blend two 
teaspoons of cornstarch in a little cool milk, 
turn into the hot milk and thicken, covering 
it and allowing it to cook for ten minutes. 



Americsin Indiein Com 97 

Beat two eggs with three tablespoons of sugar, 
stir into the custard and let stand five minutes, 
then strain all into the freezer. When cool 
and beginning to set, add two teaspoons of 
vanilla and freeze hard. Sometimes called 
** cotintry ice cream. " 

PILGRIM PUDDING 

JSeat together a cup of com meal, a cup of 
maple syrup, a heaping tablespoon of butter, 
and a salt spoon of salt. Pour over a quart 
of boiling milk and let stand to cool a few 
minutes, then add a quart of rich milk and 
three beaten eggs. Pour into a three-quart 
greased pudding mold, cover, and bake all 
day, uncovering to brown the last few minutes. 
Serve with an old-fashioned cream sauce. 

Sauce. One pint of milk, a pinch of salt, a 
teaspoon of butter, a half cup of sugar, two 
teaspoons of cornstarch, and the yolk of one 
egg. Blend, boil up to thicken, and serve 
hot. 

CORN PRUNE MOLD 

Stew one half pound of large pnmes imtil 
done but not broken; sweeten and stand to 
cool. When cool remove the stones carefully 



98 AmericsLn Indian Com 

and slip blanched almonds into the prunes in 
their places. Have ready a quart of corn-meal 
mush, not made too thick and sweetened with 
a half cup of sugar; beat in a Itmip of butter 
and stir in evenly the prunes; pour in a wet 
mold and set aside to cool and harden. 
When ready serve with any good cold pud- 
ding sauce, or put the pudding into a steamer 
and steam twenty minutes before serving. 
Use a hard sauce or a boiled sauce with the 
pudding. 

CORN GINGER PUDDING 

TKllet one scant cup of corn meal in enough 
cold water to make a paste, let stand ten 
minutes. Add a saltspoon of salt, a half tea- 
spoon of ground ginger, one teaspoon of cin- 
namon, a cup of molasses, and a cup of finely 
chopped suet. ' Turn into a baking dish, well 
buttered; turn over the top two cups of milk 
and one of water without stirring and bake 
for four hours. 

MAIZENA CAKE 

flDix three ounces of maizena with foiu: 
ounces of flour, one teaspoon of baking powder, 
three ounces of butter, five tablespoons of 



American Indian Com 99 

sugar, and three quarters of a cup of milk. 
Flavor with rose water; beat in whites of three 
eggs whipped to a stiff froth. Bake, turn out 
and lay up with cream, soft icing, or a layer of 
fresh fruit and whipped cream. 

MAIZENA BAVARIAN CREAM 

ZThe maizena is a fine com fiotir. Take one 
cup of milk, a pinch of salt, and three ounces of 
sugar and put in a saucepan. When it boils 
stir in three ounces of maizena, the yolks of 
three eggs beaten in a half cup of milk. Stir, 
and add a teaspoon of vanilla and a few drops 
of almond flavoring, pour into a wet mold and 
chill. Take the whites of the eggs and beat 
them stiff with a little powdered sugar, add to 
a half cup of cream, use a few drops of flavor- 
ing, and serve as sauce with the pudding. 

CORN-MEAL CAKE PUDDING 

pare and slice six large or twelve small 
apples. To one quart of milk, add one quart 
of com meal, a teaspoon of salt, four table- 
spoons of chopped suet, a cup of molasses, and 
a teaspoon of soda dissolved in a little hot 
water. Pour all into a greased mold and 
steam for four hours. Unmold and serve 
with good hard or brandy sauce. 



loo American Indian Com 

DRIED APPLE CORN PUDDING 

Scald with a pint of milk two cups of 
Indian meal, and when slightly cool add a 
cup of sifted flour, a half cup of suet chopped 
fine, a saltspoon of salt, and two cups of dried 
apples that have been soaked in water until 
swelled then mixed with a half gill of molasses. 
Tie in a floured pudding bag and boil or steam 
for five hours. Serve a sweetened and flav- 
ored drawn-butter sauce with the pudding. 

TAPIOCA AND INDIAN PUDDING 

Soak a half cup of tapioca overnight; in 
the morning scald it with three quarters of a 
quart of milk; add four tablespoons of corn 
mieal, wet in the rest of the quart of milk, a 
tablespoon of soft butter, and boil ten min- 
utes. Cool, and add a pint of sliced tart 
apples, a cup of sugar, and two beaten eggs. 
Beat well and pour into a greased pudding 
mold. Cover, and bake two hours, then 
remove the cover and bake an hour more. 
Serve with a good boiled sweet chocolate sauce. 

VIRGINIA HOMINY PUDDING 

XPtllash four tablespoons of hominy, and boil 



American Indisoi Com loi 

with water to cover, and a saltspoon of salt. 
Cook in a double boiler. When done add a 
quart of hot milk; cook until the hominy is 
tender. Take from the fire and add a gener- 
ous Itmip of butter, eight tablespoons of sugar, 
a grated lemon rind, and fotir beaten egg yolks. 
Pour into buttered baking dish and bake until 
set, then ttirn over the beaten whites of the 
eggs beaten with sugar and the juice of the 
lemon. Return to the oven and bake imtil 
the top is a delicate brown. 

MOCK CANTALOUPE PUDDING 

JSring one pint of milk to boiling point with 
a cup of sugar. Add two tablespoons of corn- 
starch that has been mixed with a quarter 
pint of milk. Add a saltspoon of salt and cook 
for five minutes. Add three beaten egg yolks, 
cook two minutes, then set off the fire and add 
the three beaten egg whites, cook one minute, 
stirring constantly. Lightly butter a melon 
mold, sprinkle it with the grated rind of a 
lemon, pour in the pudding, and set away to 
cool and then to chill. Serve with a lemon 
sauce made of a cup of sugar, a half cup of 
water, a teaspoon of butter, and the jtiice of 
a lemon. Boil for five minutes then cool 
before serving. 



102 American Indiein Com 

CORN SHORT CAKE 

_ Select any of the recipes for quick corn 
teead and pour the batter into two buttered 
layer-cake pans, quarter full only, and bake. 
Turn out, butter, and lay up the usual way 
with berries that have been cut in half and 
allowed to stand covered with sugar, cut-up 
peaches, shredded pineapple, or dainty stewed 
fruit. Serve hot and fresh with a bowl of 
whipped cream or a little hard sauce. 

NURSERY PUDDING 

Beat three eggs into a quart of milk, add a 
cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, and three table- 
spoons of cornstarch blended with a little bit 
of milk. Put in a teaspoon of flavoring and 
boil in a double boiler until thickened or bake 
in a lightly buttered dish. Serve hot or cold. 

CORN ROYAL SANDWICHES 

35ake a quick corn bread after any of the 
recipes offered and when it is cold split it with 
a sharp knife and spread with currant jelly or 
orange marmalade ; cover, and cut in squares, 
dust with powdered sugar and pile sandwich 
fashion on a plate. Serve as soon as made. 



Americeui Indian Com 103 

CORN PUFFS 

^ake freshly baked corn muffins and with a 
teaspoon take out some of the center and fill 
with the following cream. Take a quarter 
pound of fresh butter and cream it with four 
ounces of confectioner's sugar ; add a level tea- 
spoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of coffee 
essence. Fill the muffins and cover the out- 
side. When the muffins are served put a 
spoon of whipped cream on top of each with 
a candied cherry in the center. ' 

CARAMEL CORNSTARCH PUDDING 

fDake a caramel by melting a half cup of 
granulated sugar in an iron frying pan, watch- 
ing careftilly that it does not burn. When 
melted and a good color add a half cup of 
boiling water, stirring until all is blended. 
Heat in a double boiler a pint of milk, add a 
half cup of the caramel. Mix a heaping table- 
spoon of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of salt, four 
tablespoons of cornstarch, with two table- 
spoons of water. Turn the hot caramel milk 
into the cornstarch mixture, blend all, and 
pour back into the double boiler to cook for 
forty-five minutes, stirring often. Pour into 
small wet molds and set away to cool and 
chiU. Unmold and serve with whipped cream. 



104 American Indiaun Com 

CRACKERS 

Sift together one and a half pints of flour, 
a half pint of cornstarch, a half teaspoon of 
salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of 
baking powder. Rub in a tablespoon of lard, 
add a half pint of milk, and mix to a smooth 
dough. Flour the molding board, turn out 
the dough, knead It lightly until perfectly- 
smooth, set aside covered for ten minutes, then 
roll it out very thin, cut in rounds, and prick 
them with a sharp fork. Lay upon buttered 
shallow tins, wash over with milk, and bake 
seven or eight minutes. Store in a tin box in a 
dry place until used. Sprinkled with grated 
cheese and heated in the oven the crackers are 
good to use with the salad course. 

JERSEY CORN-MEAL PUDDING 

Stir three quarters of a cup of corn meal 
into a pint of milk and cook until it boils, 
stirring constantly. Add a pint of cold milk, 
take from the fire, stir in a cup and a half of 
sugar, a level teaspoon of salt, three beaten 
eggs, a tablespoon of molasses, a dozen large 
seeded raisins, and a tablespoon and a half 
of finely chopped suet. Pour in a buttered 
baking dish and bake in a moderate oven 
one hour. 



American Indian Corn ^ 105 

CORN TUTTI FRUTTI 

fIDake one quart of mush in the usual way. 
When done add a cup of sugar, a heaping 
tablespoon of butter, one cup of ground nut 
meats, a half cup of chopped raisins, and a 
dessert spoon of vanilla flavoring. Beat well 
and turn into a deep serving dish. Make a 
pineapple jelly of one ripe pineapple chopped 
and cooked with three cups of water for half 
an hour, then add one and a quarter ounces 
of gelatine powder dissolved in a cup of hot 
water, small cup of sugar, juice and rind of a 
lemon, beaten white and crushed shell of an 
egg. Boil up once, strain, and add a cup of 
chopped fresh fruit drained when cool, turn 
over the mush and put in a cold place to set. 
Serve whipped cream with the chilled dainty. 



GENERAL REMARKS ON INDIAN CORN. 

By Charles J. Murphy 

*'If the women of the present day would learn anew 
the processes of cooking corn bread, it would become 
fashionable, the family would be more healthy, and 
there would be great satisfaction in ministering to the 
better appetite and condition it would bring to each 
member of the family. " — C. F. Clarkson. 

Ut has been said, perhaps trtily, that a well- 
to-do French family would live on what many 
an American and English family in the same 
sphere of life annually wastes. In such a case 
there is little doubt that the more economical 
is the better living of the .two. To make the 
best of what we have is one of the sciences not 
taught in the schools, and is unknown in 
many households in our land of plenty. I 
write in the interest of good living as well 
as mere economy in expenses, — ^meaning by 
good living not only the preparation of palat- 
able food, but also food conducive to health, 
comfort, and length of days. 

The most abundant food product of America 

1 06 



American Indian Com 107 

is Indian corn. In the State of Iowa alone 
there were over 300,000,000 bushels raised in 
1888. The crop of the entire country was 
over two thousand millions of bushels in the 
same year. This crop in Iowa would average 
to each man, woman, and child in the State 
about six tons — or enough to furnish bread 
for forty millions of population. When we 
consider that this vast amount of food is 
produced upon less than one fourth of the 
acreage within her boundaries, and under very 
primitive forms of culture, it is seen that the 
amount may be doubled, and that the real 
bread-producing capacity of the State is suffi- 
cient for eighty millions of people. 

■ To bring the attention of housewives, 
economists, and philanthropists to the possi- 
bilities presented in this immense food supply 
is well worthy our best endeavors. It is 
commended to their attention as offering 
variety easily obtained, toothsome dishes on 
short notice, and a diet, when discreetly com- 
bined and varied with other foods, that is 
eminently suited to most climates and con- 
ditions. That the judicious use of it will add 
to the comfort and health of the well-to-do is 
no less true than that the knowledge of its 
proper use may be a boon to such as wish to 
exercise due economy. 



io8 American Indian Corn 

It has been said that dyspepsia kills more 
people than spirits. It is certainly true that 
the constitution and the character are being 
undermined by this insidious foe. This is not 
so much the result of over-feeding and hasty 
eating as from the character of the food con- 
sumed. Dyspepsia is the bane of those whose 
bread must be of the superfine order, and who 
despise foods that are not expensive. 

Horace Mann said in his lectures to young 
men nearly half a century ago: *^No glutton 
or dyspeptic can stand up alongside a man 
with a sound stomach. '* The first organ that 
Nature made for a living creature was a 
stomach. The first lesson of education is how 
to eat. It is the most important as well as the 
first. If proper habits of eating are formed by 
the young, and the principles that underlie 
the science of nutrition are understood by 
them, they can then be more safely entrusted 
to the college, which is generally the paradise 
of ignorance and stupidity in all matters per- 
taining to the stomach. Brains are supposed 
by the schoolmen to be alone worthy of con- 
sideration. To give head culture is the object 
of the college, and the course of nutriment is 
so much neglected that good head work 
becomes impossible. An active mind is the 
aim, whether or no the body be sound — ^and 



American Indian Com 109 

on this principle the schools often ruin the 
best brains, while the coarser fellows, with 
sound stomachs, first reach the goal of success. 

The possession of a good digestive organ is 
more important than that of good eyes, good 
ears, a large brain; for these all depend for 
their health upon the nerves of nutrition; and 
if not properly supplied the organs lose their 
power of acting, and become of little force. 
There can be neither clear vision, good hear- 
ing, nor sound mental perception, long con- 
tinued, except through that nutrition which 
comes from properly digested food. Nine 
tenths of the work of the schools is wasted 
because of indigestion. The dyspeptic stom- 
ach renders useless the finest brain. 

Is it necessary to follow this subject into 
the realm of morals and piety? Fretfulness, 
moroseness, irritability, animalism, brutality, 
all may plead excuse in a foul stomach. 
These fill homes with sorrow, and from these 
come the so-called greater crimes and misfor- 
tunes which people oiu: prisons and our hos- 
pitals. 

Writers by the score can be quoted to show 
how cheap food vitally affects the well-being 
of the people. Andrew Carnegie, the eminent 
American financier and philanthropist, says, 
in his book, Triumphant Democracy: ''The 



no American Indisoi Com 

close relation which exists between poverty 
and crime has received verification and re- 
peated emphasis. It has been shown that a 
rise in the price of breadstiiffs is attended by 
an increase of robberies — cheap food^ on the 
other hand, is accompanied by a diminution of 
crime, and scientific principle is thus added to 
sentiment in the song of The English Roast 
Beef— 

"The man that's well fed, Sir, 
Can never do ill." 

The necessity of the hour is to find and apply 
a preventive rather than a cure. The latter 
is often difficult where the former may be 
easy. If it be true that Nature makes no 
mistakes, may it not be that in the free use of 
the most abundant food she has provided is to 
be found the panacea for the many ills growing 
out of indigestion? It is not reasonable to 
expect that all will accept this thought kindly. 
The haughty Syrian refused to wash in the 
waters of the himible Jordan, and preferred 
to live in his uncleanness rather than demean 
himsfelf before his fellows. His life ended 
thousands of years ago, but his race is not 
extinct. 

Maize is used in a few other countries as a 
porridge, or pudding, and in this condition is 



American Indian Com in 

eaten alone or with meat, syrup, milk, or other 
agreeable foods. In Ireland such a dish is 
known as stir-about, and in Italy as polenta. 

In tropical coimtries maize grows to a great 
height, and three crops may be produced in a 
year. I have seen this on the Rio Grande 
River in Mexico, in Southern California, and 
in South Africa. I have witnessed two crops 
a year gathered in the interior of China, and 
saw it grow luxuriantly on the island of Juan 
Fernandez in the South Atlantic Ocean. In 
high latitudes varieties that mature in fifty 
days are grown, and the stalks are not more 
than thirty inches high. The variations in 
the plant as well as the grain are many. The 
sweet varieties, and notably those with 
wrinkled kernels, form a deUcious food when 
boiled as whole ears, and make a part of 
numerous dishes when cut from the cob and 
combined with other vegetables and meats. 
The green ears roasted on the hearth, or by the 
burning heaps in the old-time clearing, or 
cooked by being buried in the hot embers and 
ashes, made many of the long remembered 
and toothsome feasts of the pioneers of the 
forest. 

When in this unripe condition, otir grand- 
mothers cut the grains from the cob and dried 
them by the fijre or in the sun. Tablecloths 



112 American Indisin Com 

were spread upon the roofs of the cabin; 
platforms were extemporized from rough 
boards; pans were brought into use, and 
during the brief season of drying the thrifty 
housewife spared not, but laid up stores for the 
winter. This was a custom derived from the 
aborigines from whose tripod hung the pot of 
half -dried meat mingled with corn, and kept 
the gaimt wolf from the wigwam. 

Their penned corn, shelled and parched, 
often appeased the htmger of the savage, as 
well as that of the white man who was upon his 
retreating steps. When mills for grinding were 
distant some days' journey, and the route was 
over the trackless waste, and the storm was in 
the air, many a family on the Western prairie 
has lived on parched corn until a supply of 
other food coiild be had. 

The hominy mortar is now only a tradition. 
To our grandfathers and more remote an- 
cestors it was a beautiful reality. In its most 
substantial and effective form it was made by 
excavating a large and deep bowl in the top 
of an oaken stump. The finishing touches 
were made by fire, and when with great pa- 
tience it was smoothly finished it was a work 
of art. The pestle to this huge mortar was of 
hard wood, rounded on the end, sometimes 
tipped with an iron wedge, and suspended 



AmericELti Indian Com 115 

from a spring-pole over the mortar. By- 
means of this implement the hulls were beaten 
and worn from the flinty grains which were 
more or less broken in the process, and the 
resiiltant product was called hominy. The 
word is a corruption of the Indian name for 
parched corn. In this form it was boiled in 
water, and dressed with milk or cream, and 
seasoned to the taste. 

So popular and so palatable was this dish 
that in some parts of Indiana, and Kentucky 
its use was not abandoned for many years 
after the grinding process supplanted it by a 
saving of the labor and care in its prepara- 
tion. In the latter State its manufacture by 
aged negroes was not uncommon forty years 
ago, and, possibly, is not to-day. Hand- 
made hominy was bought as a luxury after 
the grinding mills made the cheaper article 
a common food. 

Another dish called hominy was made by 
eating the hulls from the grain with a strong 
lye of wood ashes. It was also cal ed hulled 
com — and was boiled in water till thoroughly 
cooked. It was eaten with milk, or heated in 
a frying pan with butter, or grease from the 
fried pork, and was a favorite breakfast dish. 
This kind of hominy was especially popular 
with the early settlers in Pennsylvania, and is 



114 American Indian Com 

still a favored dish among their descendants. 
In countries where coal is the leading fuel, the 
hulls may be taken off by using potash. 

In these forms and in that of breads made 
from corn ground on the primitive mills of the 
remote settlements, this grain, with pork, lard, 
and bacon, was the basis of the common food 
of the people, and in the unstinted hospitality 
of those times everybody was invited to par- 
take of *'hog and hominy" wherever they 
might happen to be at the hour for meals. 
This was the pioneer grain, and the principal 
food of the pioneer. It cost little for labor 
and less for seed, and in the absence of means 
of transportation the market price was merely 
nominal when it was abundant. Hogs were 
raised in half or wholly wild state, and fattened 
upon the must. Cattle ran on the range in 
summer, and a trifle of hay or the cane-brake 
put them through the winter. Milk, meat, and 
eggs were the proper supplement to the nu- 
trient elements in the corn, and on these foods 
there was grown a race never surpassed in 
health and vigor in all the world's history .j' 

MUSH AND MILK 

Hmong the earliest and most poptilar dishes 
following the introduction of mills was pud- 



American Indian Com 115 

ding, or "mush'* from corn meal. In its 
simplest form it was made by stirring the meal 
into boiling water, seasoning with salt, and 
keeping the pot at a boiling heat until ^e 
pudding was done to the taste. This dish with 
milk often made the evening meal. The family 
would surround the table, each with a bowl, 
porringer, or tin cup, into which milk was 
poured, and each with a spoon helped himself 
from the great dish of pudding in the center. 
A large spoonful of the pudding was placed 
in the milk in each individual porringer, and 
eaten by the possessor at his pleastire. In 
some cases the mush was eaten with butter 
instead of milk. Some preferred it with mo- 
lasses. In the time of making maple sugar or 
syrup the yoimg folks had a faculty for mak- 
ing a combination of these elements — often 
surreptitiously — ^that was highly satisfactory. 
The customary method of serving left-over 
mush for breakfast was in the fonn of "fried 
mush,'* a dish happily not yet forgotten and 
never despised in the cuisine of the most 
fashionable families and hotels of the present 
day. 

BREADS 

!f6ut the primitive breads made from com 
meal were not to be despised. These, with the 



ii6 American Indian Com 

great open fire-place, the huge crane, the 
grotesque irons, the blazing logs, the beds of 
embers, coals, and hot ashes, and the jamb on 
which our grandmothers whetted the knife 
with which the smoked ham was cut for the 
frying pan, have all disappeared. They re- 
main only in the memories of the aged, 
savory and sweet smelling, and suggestive of 
joys that are past. 

Of these our grandmothers have described 
with enthusiasm the corn-dodger. ■ In its 
best estate it was a carefidly mixed and sea- 
soned dough made from corn meal and water, 
wrapped in wet corn-husks, pressed into a 
fiat form, and baked in the hot coals and ashes. 
These cakes were brought to the table directly 
from the glowing hearth, broken (not cut), 
and eaten with butter or hot gravy from fried 
ham. In later days there was a counterfeit 
of the same name, baked in iron skillets, but 
without the flavor of hickory ashes,- and did 
not belong to the same family. 

The ''johnny-cake" and hoe-cake are of the 
same era as the ash-cake, or "dodger," and 
were baked before the fire, rather than in the 
coals. The hoe-cake is supposed to have 
taken its name from the dough having been 
spread upon a hoe near the fire till baked. 
The johnny-cake was made by spreading the 



American Indian Corn 117 

dough rather thinly upon a board (commonly 
a split clap-board, or ''shake/' made for 
roofing the cabin) , and placing the same upon 
the hearth, so arranging it that the heat 
would bake it rapidly without biirning it. 
But these breads passed out of fashion as 
cast-iron griddles, skillets, and ovens came 
into use. 

With these came the more elaborate cakes 
and loaves into which milk and eggs entered, 
some of which were called ''pones, '' corrupted 
from the "paune*' of the Indians. Some of 
these breads have a degree of popularity even 
at the present day. 

HOW TO GRIND 

^he importance of the manner of grinding 
com for human food is not generally under- 
stood. The steam-mill with its huge burr 
mill-stones, in the hands of a miller whose 
ambition is quantity, and who knows nothing 
of quality, cuts and bums all the life out of the 
meal, and leaves it a heavy, dead mass. The 
cook may use all the customary appliances 
for making light and palatable bread, but all 
in vain. The small millstones that were 
driven by horse-power, the capacity of which 
was about three bushels per hour, and through 



ii8 American Indian Corn 

which the meal came cool and lively, with a 
''grain" perceptible to the touch, when 
manipulated by a miller who knew exactly the 
desired quality, gave results quite satisfactory. 
Next to this the old country custom-mill, 
driven by water, made the best meal. This 
fact is of prime importance, 

QUALITY 

^here are also great differences in the quali- 
ties of the corn from which meal for family 
use is made. Without entering upon a dis- 
cussion of the endless varieties of corn, and 
of their constituents, it may simply be said 
that bright, clean, white flint corn ought to 
satisfy the most fastidious. It may also be 
mentioned that it should be as fresh from the 
mill as may be practicable. If allowed to 
mass together for a few weeks, even though it 
may not heat, it loses its quality. 

The farmer who grinds for his live stock, 
may often select with a sieve, from corn of 
good quality, ground at home, better meal 
for his table than he can get at the mills and 
stores. It is hoped that this hint may not be 
lost on the wife of the farmer who has a feed 
mill. To make this entirely certain, every 
farmer who has such a mill would do well to 



American Indian Com 119 

plant sufficient white flint corn to supply his 
own table, and have some to spare for his less 
fortunate neighbors. 

HYGIENE 

ZChe use of Indian com as human food has 
been so greatly diminished within the past 
forty years as to demand an explanation. Is 
it because it has been supplanted by foods that 
are more healthful or more palatable? Is it 
because of any necessary difficulty in its 
manipulation? Can it be that it has simply 
fallen into disuse because it is so abundant and 
so cheap as to become tmfashionable? All of 
these propositions except the last may un- 
hesitatingly be answered in the negative. 

Its healthful character may be argued both 
from its inherent qualities and its history as 
a food. When properly prepared it is highly 
nutritious, especially in the winter, and is, of 
itself, a preventive and cure of that worst foe 
to the health of those engaged in sedentary 
occupations, namely constipation. This is 
probably not due to any peculiar element 
which it contains, but most likely to its 
mechanical properties, by which it stimtilates 
the peristaltic action of the alimentary canal. 
However that may be the fact remains; and 



120 American Indian Com 

it is not possible to assert with confidence that 
a liberal use of the various foods prepared from 
corn meal would not very greatly ameliorate 
the condition of many who are sufferers from 
the too constant use of fine flour and other 
too highly concentrated foods. Many experi- 
ments within my knowledge are strong proofs 
to me that in many cases foods from Indian 
corn are worthy of a fair trial for health alone. 

It is stated upon good authority that the 
use of com meal as a food once each day for 
five months has been known to cure an obstin- 
ate case of dyspepsia. The reasonableness of 
this statement is enhanced by the fact that 
this disease was scarcely known in America 
fifty years ago ; and when it is considered that 
the inordinate use of hog products was more or 
less frequent at that time, is it not reasonable 
to suppose that Indian corn measurably 
prevented unfortunate results from the other- 
wise gross diet of that period? 

Reader, remember that what is put forth is 
in the interest of better as well as cheaper 
food. If any one shall pass it by with a sneer 
because it treats of the possibilities of a food 
that is within the reach of the poor as well as 
the rich, let such an one reject also the fresh 
air and every other universal blessing. But, 
let it be remembered that while Indian com is 



American Indian Corn 121 

so plentiful and cheap, and that waste is the 
rule rather than the exception, yet there is no 
excellence even in the foods prepared there- 
from, unless care and wisdom unite in the se- 
lection of the material and in its manipulation. 

Having with some care investigated this 
subject, I conclude it is the duty of each one to 
live up to his privileges. If it has been given 
to us to have better methods than the savages 
who once claimed our fair land, or even better 
methods than were possible to the pioneer 
settlers, we shall only prove ourselves worthy 
of the better methods by exemplifying them 
in our lives, and teaching them to others who 
know not of them. If we live up to our 
privileges we shall be far from treating God's 
most abundant gifts with scorn. 

Nature makes no mistakes. She provides 
a diet suited to every climate. The Green- 
lander has his blubber; the inhabitant of the 
torrid zone has his fruits, while the Southern 
Briton in his milder environment takes his 
grass at the second remove in the form of 
beef. The American has been bounteously 
provided for. His fields wave with grass; his 
cribs are bursting with corn; the cattle on a 
thousand hills are his ; and he may take his corn 
in the ear, in the grain, from the hands of the 
miller and the cook ; or he may have it at the 



122 American Indian Com 

second remove in savory roast or stew of cc«ii- 
fed beef, or corn-fed mutton, or corn-fed 
pork or bacon, and not foolishly flout a wise 
Providence. 

But while Indian com is a standard and 
necessary food, in its crude forms, as well as in 
those of bread and porridge, it has, in its 
finest flours, and in certain forms of cornstarch 
been introduced, and is used in the preparation 
of dessert puddings and blanc mange, for 
which it seems better fitted than the flour or 
wheat. Thus millions find nutriment, and 
other millions agreeable variety, and even 
luxury, in the various preparations of Indian 
corn. 

FRESH MEAL 

fIDeal as well as flour is liable to lose its best 
quality by want of care, or the mere lapse of 
time. Dampness may be absorbed from what 
seems to be a dry atmosphere. Heat and 
moisture very rapidly affect even com in the 
ear, or shelled, but much more rapidly when 
ground. 

Insects seem to be attracted by the sweet 
scent of freshly ground meal, and to have an 
instinct to deposit their eggs therein. Its 
almost imperceptible fermentation produces 



American Indian Com 123 

heat that soon starts them Into life, and the 
quality of the meal Is destroyed long before 
there Is any visible mold, or other unfavorable 
sign apparent to the common observer. But 
the Intelligent cook, by sight, or touch, or 
smell, will detect age in the meal, and turn it 
to another destination than the human stom- 
ach. Good bread, or any other preparation 
from Indian meal for the food of man, can 
only be made from freshly groimd com, and 
from that which has been grotmd upon a 
mill adapted to that pinpose. Of late years 
this obstacle to its use has been very much 
overcome by kiln-drying the meal. By this 
means the moisture Is dried out of It, and it 
can be shipped long distances and kept a 
considerable while without the slightest de- 
terioration. Great quantities of kiln-dried 
meal is sent to the West Indies annually, one 
firm in Ohio alone sending there fifteen thou- 
sand barrels a year. 

SOUTHERN CORN 

ZThere are many varieties of com. They 
show under analysis their elements in different 
proportions. Some of these are better suited 
than others to table uses. The savage In- 
dians raised the sorts that were most palatable 



124 American Indian Corn 

under their simple modes of cooking. The 
Southern planter grows the white flint corn 
for his table, and the larger, softer, yellow 
corn for his mules, pigs, and poultry. The 
Northern farmer, with equal knowledge of 
quality, and more careful of details, should, by 
selection, be able to use the best variety for 
every purpose, with results of great impor- 
tance to our interests in the matter of food 
supply. 

These are facts that should be widely known. 
Under changed conditions in the South there 
is possibility of danger that some of the cus- 
toms of the early days that are worth preserva- 
tion may become obsolete; — and, among 
others, the making of the very best foods from 
Indian corn may finally be numbered among 
the lost arts. 

ANALYSIS 

^he elements of which Indian com is com- 
posed, in the proportions in which they are 
combined in the best varieties, do not seem to 
be equally suited as a food to all conditions. 
Being carbonaceous and nitrogenous, — fat- 
forming as well as muscle-forming, — ^it is a 
better food in winter than in summer. For the 
same reason it has its complementary foods, 



American Indian Com 125 

which, as far as practicable, shotild be eaten 
with it. These are the albtiminoid foods, such 
as eggs, milk, peas, beans, lean meats, etc. 

COMPOSITION OF CORN MEAL 

Water 14.5 

Nutrients 85.5 

100 

Nutrients consisting of Protein 9.1 

Fats 3.8 

Carbohydrates 71. 

Minerals 1.6 

"85^ 

A comparison of the calories and potential 
energy of com meal with that of wheat and 
potatoes gives the following figures for i 
pound of each of the articles mentioned as 
follows : 

Corn Meal 1650 

Wheat 1660 

Potatoes 395 

The above figtures are taken from tables in 
a work on human dietary, issued in 1889, by 
United States Surgeon- General John S. Bil- 
lings of Washington, a graduate of both Edin- 
burgh and Harvard Colleges. 



126 American Indian Com 

Note. — The composition of maize, as given 
by Pa YEN, is as follows: 

Starch 67.55 

Gluten or zea 12.50 

Dextrine or gum 4.00 

Fatty matter 8.80 

Cellulose 5.90 

Salts or ashes 1.25 

It is no doubt from the excess of oily matter, 
which, as seen above, is about nine pounds in 
every one hundred, that the meal is so prone 
to change by its attracting oxygen from the 
atmosphere. This explains what is said else- 
where as to the difficulties that svirround 
its preservation on sea voyages and when 
stored in hot or damp climates. 



INDEX 

PAGES 

Apple Johnnycake ... 59 

Ash Cake 50 

Bannocks 55 

Bavarian Cream 99 

Beef Scrapple 33 

Biscuit 65 

Blanc Mange 95 

Brown Bread 55» 61, 62 

Canada Cream 95 

Chicken Sausage 33 

Chowder 77 

Clams 88 

Coffee 44 

Com Bread..45, 47, 48, 49» 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59. 60-66 

Com Chilo 90 

Corniettes 35 

Com Meal for Breading 34 

Cornstarch 96, 103 

Crackers 104 

Crackling Com Bread 60 

Creole Cakes 67 

Crispets 67 

Crumpets 67 

Custard 89 

Desserts 93 

Dodgers 73 

Doughnuts 63 

Dried Corn 83 

Dumplings 71 

Fish Cakes 31 

Flapjacks 72 

Fritters 70, 81, 88 

Frozen Custards 96 

Fmit 93 

Gems 68 

Gingerbread 62 

Gluten Com Bread 64 

Green Com Cookery 76-93 

Griddlecakes 70, 72 

Gruel 34 

127 



128 Index 

PAGES 

Ham Muffins .^ 42 

Hasty Pudding 28 

Hoe Cake 50 

Hominy 37-41 

Indian Nocake 51 

Johnnycake 51 

Joumeycake 51 

Madeira Milho 42 

Maizena Cake 99 

Massachusetts Indian Cake 52 

Mock Cantaloupe loi 

Muffins 66, 68 

Mush 28, 30, 31 

Omelette 82 

Onia Tei Da 83 

Oysters 81 

Parched Corn 74 

Pemmican 35 

Pie 88 

Pinole 44 

Polenta 29 

Pone 53 

Popcorn 73,74,95 

Pork Scrapple 32 

Pralines 74 

Prune Mold 98 

Pudding 80, 89, 93-95, 97-105 

Puffs 103 

Pumpkin Corn Bread 63 

Pur6e 76 

Rice 60 

Rolls 65 

Salad 87 

Salad Dressing 75 

Samp 42 

Sandwiches 88, 103 

Scones 58 

Scrapple 32, 33 

Shortcake 102 

Slappers 56 

Souffle 90 

Soup 76, 78 

Soup Sticks 60 

Succotash 78, 80 

Tapioca 100 

Tutti Frutti 105 

Vegetarian Roast 34 

Waffles 69, 70, 82 



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